Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 1390
NGC 1390 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Eridanus, 56.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Eridanus |
| Distance | 56.2 million light-years (17.24 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 18,900 light-years · 0.22 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −16.57 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.61 |
| Luminosity | 0.019 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 37m 52.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −19° 00′ 30″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.61. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 71° N. South of latitude 71° S 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 56 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 997.5 billion years.