Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 1156
NGC 1156 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Aries, 25.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Aries |
| Distance | 25.4 million light-years (7.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 30,100 light-years · 0.34 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.76 |
| Luminosity | 0.13 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 59m 42.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +25° 14′ 15″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.76. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 65° S. North of latitude 65° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in November, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 25 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 451.3 billion years.