Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 1601
NGC 1601 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Eridanus, 232.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Eridanus |
| Distance | 232.8 million light-years (71.39 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 71,000 light-years · 0.81 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.31 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.96 |
| Luminosity | 0.58 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 31m 41.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | −5° 03′ 37″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.96. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 85° N. 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 233 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 4,130.5 billion years.