Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 1497
NGC 1497 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Taurus, 293.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Taurus |
| Distance | 293.4 million light-years (89.97 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 159,300 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.27 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.50 |
| Luminosity | 3.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 02m 06.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +23° 07′ 58″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.50. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 67° S. North of latitude 67° N 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 293 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 5,205.5 billion years.