Galaxy · Elliptical
Fornax Dwarf
Fornax Dwarf is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Fornax, 456,600 light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Fornax |
| Distance | 456,600 light-years (140.0 kpc) |
| Diameter | 6,523 light-years · 0.075 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −13.40 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 7.33 |
| Luminosity | 0.001 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 39m 59.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −34° 26′ 56″ |
| Source | Compiled catalogue (NED, approximate values) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 7.33); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 56° N. South of latitude 56° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in October, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 457 thousand 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 8.1 billion years.