Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 138
NGC 138 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pisces, 554.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Distance | 554.2 million light-years (169.91 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 245,100 light-years · 2.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −23.17 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.98 |
| Luminosity | 8.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 30m 59.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +5° 09′ 35″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.98. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 85° 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 554 million years ago. At that time the Earth held only single-celled organisms and the first multicellular life. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 9,830.6 billion years.