Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 1218
NGC 1218 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 400.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 400.2 million light-years (122.71 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 226,900 light-years · 2.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −23.54 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.90 |
| Luminosity | 11 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 08m 26.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +4° 06′ 39″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.90. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 86° S. 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 400 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 7,099.7 billion years.