Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 1431
NGC 1431 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Taurus, 429.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Taurus |
| Distance | 429.7 million light-years (131.73 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 184,800 light-years · 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.57 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.03 |
| Luminosity | 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 44m 40.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +2° 50′ 06″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.03. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 87° S. 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 430 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 7,621.6 billion years.