NGC 24 is a spiral galaxy in the southern constellation of Sculptor, about 23.8 megalight-years distant from the Milky Way. It was discovered by British astronomer William Herschel in 1785, and measures some 40,000 light-years across. The general shape of this galaxy is specified by its morphological classification of SA(s)c, which indicates it is an unbarred spiral with no ring-like structure and moderate to loosely-wound spiral arms. This galaxy is positioned in the vicinity of the Sculptor Group, but is actually a background object that is more than three times as distant. It may form a pair with another background galaxy, NGC 45.

Frederick William Herschel was a German-British astronomer and composer. He frequently collaborated with his younger sister and fellow astronomer Caroline Herschel. Born in the Electorate of Hanover, William Herschel followed his father into the military band of Hanover, before emigrating to Great Britain in 1757 at the age of nineteen.