Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 118
NGC 118 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 524.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 524.2 million light-years (160.71 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 138,100 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.49 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.54 |
| Luminosity | 4.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 27m 16.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −1° 46′ 49″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.54. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 88° N. It stands highest at midnight in September, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 524 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 9,298.4 billion years.