Galaxy · Irregular
KK 252
KK 252 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cepheus, 19.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cepheus |
| Distance | 19.2 million light-years (5.89 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 7,632 light-years · 0.087 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −14.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.15 |
| Luminosity | 0.0033 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 20h 31m 32.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +60° 48′ 48″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.15. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 29° S. North of latitude 29° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in July, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 19 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 340.8 billion years.