Galaxy · Elliptical
And XV
And XV is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 2.48 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 2.48 million light-years (760.0 kpc) |
| Diameter | 1,435 light-years · 0.016 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −9.30 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 15.10 |
| Luminosity | 2.3 × 10⁻⁵ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 14m 18.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +38° 07′ 03″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 15.10. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 52° S. North of latitude 52° 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 2.5 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 44.0 billion years.