Galaxy · Spiral
Maffei2
Maffei2 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cassiopeia, 9.13 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cassiopeia |
| Distance | 9.13 million light-years (2.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 46,600 light-years · 0.53 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 6.54 |
| Luminosity | 0.83 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 41m 54.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +59° 36′ 11″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 6.54); binoculars will find it. 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 October, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 9.1 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 162.0 billion years.