Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 1515
NGC 1515 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Dorado, 54.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Dorado |
| Distance | 54.8 million light-years (16.79 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 95,000 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.39 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.74 |
| Luminosity | 0.63 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 04m 02.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | −54° 06′ 00″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.74. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 36° N. South of latitude 36° 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 55 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 971.4 billion years.