Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 142
NGC 142 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 373.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 373.5 million light-years (114.50 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 130,900 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.86 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.43 |
| Luminosity | 2.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 31m 08.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −22° 37′ 07″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.43. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 67° N. South of latitude 67° S it never sets. 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 373 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 6,624.7 billion years.