Galaxy · Elliptical
KK 258
KK 258 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Piscis Austrinus, 6.52 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Piscis Austrinus |
| Distance | 6.52 million light-years (2.00 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 3,196 light-years · 0.037 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −10.90 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 15.61 |
| Luminosity | 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 22h 40m 43.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | −30° 47′ 59″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 15.61. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 59° N. South of latitude 59° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in August, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 6.5 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 115.7 billion years.