Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 1506
NGC 1506 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Dorado, 478.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Dorado |
| Distance | 478.6 million light-years (146.73 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 158,300 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.23 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.60 |
| Luminosity | 3.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 00m 21.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −52° 34′ 25″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.60. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 37° N. South of latitude 37° 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 479 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 8,489.5 billion years.