Galaxy · Elliptical
And XXIV
And XXIV is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 1.96 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 1.96 million light-years (600.0 kpc) |
| Diameter | 2,087 light-years · 0.024 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −7.60 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 16.29 |
| Luminosity | 4.8 × 10⁻⁶ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 18m 30.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +46° 21′ 58″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 16.29. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 44° S. North of latitude 44° 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 2.0 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 34.7 billion years.