Galaxy · Irregular
KKR 55
KKR 55 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 | 6,262 light-years · 0.072 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −15.40 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.45 |
| Luminosity | 0.0063 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 20h 45m 20.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +60° 24′ 40″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.45. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 30° S. North of latitude 30° 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.