Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 1637
NGC 1637 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Eridanus, 30.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Eridanus |
| Distance | 30.3 million light-years (9.29 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 39,500 light-years · 0.45 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.30 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.54 |
| Luminosity | 0.23 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 41m 28.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −2° 51′ 29″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.54. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 87° 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 30 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 537.5 billion years.