Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 1559
NGC 1559 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Reticulum, 60.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Reticulum |
| Distance | 60.8 million light-years (18.63 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 52,900 light-years · 0.61 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.44 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.91 |
| Luminosity | 0.65 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 17m 35.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −62° 47′ 01″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.91. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 27° N. South of latitude 27° 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 61 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 1,077.9 billion years.