Galaxy · Elliptical
And XXX
And XXX is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cassiopeia, 2.22 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cassiopeia |
| Distance | 2.22 million light-years (680.0 kpc) |
| Diameter | 3,262 light-years · 0.037 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −12.60 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.56 |
| Luminosity | 4.8 × 10⁻⁴ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 36m 34.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +49° 38′ 48″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.56. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 40° S. North of latitude 40° 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 2.2 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 39.3 billion years.