Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 1503
NGC 1503 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Reticulum, 270.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Reticulum |
| Distance | 270.5 million light-years (82.94 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 96,200 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.20 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.39 |
| Luminosity | 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 56m 33.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −66° 02′ 27″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.39. 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 271 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 4,798.7 billion years.