Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 132
NGC 132 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 250.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 250.0 million light-years (76.64 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 123,700 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.89 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.53 |
| Luminosity | 2.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 30m 10.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +2° 05′ 36″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.53. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 88° S. 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 250 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 4,434.2 billion years.