Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 1275
NGC 1275 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Perseus, 245.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Perseus |
| Distance | 245.3 million light-years (75.20 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 321,500 light-years · 3.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −23.21 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.17 |
| Luminosity | 8.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 19m 48.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +41° 30′ 42″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.17. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 48° S. North of latitude 48° 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 245 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 4,350.9 billion years.