Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 1054
NGC 1054 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Aries, 454.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Aries |
| Distance | 454.8 million light-years (139.43 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 132,000 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.11 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.61 |
| Luminosity | 3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 42m 15.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +18° 13′ 02″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.61. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 72° S. North of latitude 72° 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 455 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 8,067.1 billion years.