Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 1043
NGC 1043 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 321.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 321.5 million light-years (98.57 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 99,700 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.61 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.36 |
| Luminosity | 0.77 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 40m 46.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +1° 20′ 36″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.36. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 89° S. 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 321 million years ago. At that time complex animals were spreading through the seas and over the land; there were no dinosaurs yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 5,703.1 billion years.