Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 1508
NGC 1508 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Taurus, 333.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Taurus |
| Distance | 333.6 million light-years (102.29 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 135,800 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.16 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.89 |
| Luminosity | 3.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 05m 47.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +25° 24′ 30″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.89. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 65° S. North of latitude 65° 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 334 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 5,918.3 billion years.