Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 1490
NGC 1490 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Reticulum, 250.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Reticulum |
| Distance | 250.0 million light-years (76.64 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 123,700 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.15 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.27 |
| Luminosity | 3.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 53m 34.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −66° 01′ 05″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.27. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 24° N. South of latitude 24° 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 250 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 4,434.2 billion years.