Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 1046
NGC 1046 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 281.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 281.6 million light-years (86.34 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 93,400 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.46 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.22 |
| Luminosity | 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 41m 12.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +8° 43′ 10″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.22. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 81° 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 282 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 4,995.5 billion years.