Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 1578
NGC 1578 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Dorado, 287.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Dorado |
| Distance | 287.9 million light-years (88.26 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 117,700 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.98 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.75 |
| Luminosity | 2.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 23m 46.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | −51° 35′ 58″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.75. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 38° N. South of latitude 38° 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 288 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 5,106.5 billion years.