Galaxy · Lenticular
Fornax A (NGC 1316)
Fornax A (NGC 1316) is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Fornax, 62.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Fornax |
| Distance | 62.0 million light-years (19.00 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 146,800 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.80 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 8.59 |
| Luminosity | 5.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 22m 41.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −37° 12′ 29″ |
| Source | Compiled catalogue (NED, approximate values) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 8.59); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 53° N. South of latitude 53° S 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 62 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 1,099.3 billion years.