Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 1494
NGC 1494 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Horologium, 52.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Horologium |
| Distance | 52.6 million light-years (16.13 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 43,400 light-years · 0.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.32 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.72 |
| Luminosity | 0.093 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 57m 42.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −48° 54′ 31″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.72. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 41° N. South of latitude 41° 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 53 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 933.2 billion years.