Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 1531
NGC 1531 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Eridanus, 54.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Eridanus |
| Distance | 54.5 million light-years (16.70 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 76,200 light-years · 0.87 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.50 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.61 |
| Luminosity | 0.28 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 11m 59.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −32° 51′ 03″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.61. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 57° N. South of latitude 57° 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 54 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 966.2 billion years.