Galaxy · Spiral
DDO 217
DDO 217 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 31.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 31.6 million light-years (9.70 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 54,800 light-years · 0.63 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.40 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.53 |
| Luminosity | 0.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 23h 29m 58.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +40° 59′ 25″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.53. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 49° S. North of latitude 49° 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 32 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 561.2 billion years.