Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 147
NGC 147 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cassiopeia, 2.48 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cassiopeia |
| Distance | 2.48 million light-years (760.0 kpc) |
| Diameter | 11,900 light-years · 0.14 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −15.40 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 9.00 |
| Luminosity | 0.0063 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 33m 11.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +48° 30′ 28″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 9.00. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 41° S. North of latitude 41° N 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 2.5 million years ago. At that time our ancestors were using stone tools; Homo sapiens did not exist yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 44.0 billion years.