Galaxy · Irregular
Dw2
Dw2 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cassiopeia, 9.78 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cassiopeia |
| Distance | 9.78 million light-years (3.00 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 8,284 light-years · 0.095 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −15.20 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.19 |
| Luminosity | 0.0052 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 54m 08.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +59° 00′ 19″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.19. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 31° S. North of latitude 31° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in November, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 9.8 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 173.6 billion years.