Galaxy · Irregular
DDO 56
DDO 56 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pyxis, 32.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pyxis |
| Distance | 32.0 million light-years (9.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 13,800 light-years · 0.16 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −15.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.26 |
| Luminosity | 0.0083 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 9h 09m 46.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −23° 00′ 33″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.26. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 67° N. South of latitude 67° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in February, 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 567.0 billion years.