Galaxy · Elliptical
And XXVI
And XXVI is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cassiopeia, 2.48 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cassiopeia |
| Distance | 2.48 million light-years (760.0 kpc) |
| Diameter | 1,305 light-years · 0.015 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −7.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 17.30 |
| Luminosity | 3.0 × 10⁻⁶ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 23m 45.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +47° 54′ 58″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 17.30. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 42° S. North of latitude 42° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in September, 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.