Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 1096
NGC 1096 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Horologium, 302.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Horologium |
| Distance | 302.1 million light-years (92.61 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 154,800 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.55 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.28 |
| Luminosity | 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 43m 49.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −59° 54′ 48″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.28. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 30° N. South of latitude 30° S 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 302 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 5,358.2 billion years.