Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 1102
NGC 1102 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Eridanus, 515.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Eridanus |
| Distance | 515.7 million light-years (158.10 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 145,200 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.91 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.08 |
| Luminosity | 2.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 47m 12.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | −22° 12′ 32″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.08. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 68° N. South of latitude 68° 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 516 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 9,147.3 billion years.