Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 166
NGC 166 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 280.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 280.5 million light-years (86.01 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 86,400 light-years · 0.99 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.62 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.05 |
| Luminosity | 0.77 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 35m 48.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −13° 36′ 38″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.05. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 76° N. South of latitude 76° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in September, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 281 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 4,976.4 billion years.