Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 1463
NGC 1463 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Reticulum, 291.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Reticulum |
| Distance | 291.7 million light-years (89.44 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 97,700 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.57 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.19 |
| Luminosity | 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 46m 15.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −59° 48′ 36″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.19. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 30° N. South of latitude 30° 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 292 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 5,174.8 billion years.