Galaxy · Elliptical
And X
And X is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 2.05 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 2.05 million light-years (630.0 kpc) |
| Diameter | 1,500 light-years · 0.017 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −8.50 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 15.50 |
| Luminosity | 1.1 × 10⁻⁵ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 06m 33.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +44° 48′ 16″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 15.50. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 45° S. North of latitude 45° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in October, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 2.1 million years ago. At that time our ancestors were using stone tools; Homo sapiens did not exist yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 36.5 billion years.