Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 1660
NGC 1660 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Caelum, 291.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Caelum |
| Distance | 291.8 million light-years (89.47 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 92,000 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.84 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.92 |
| Luminosity | 0.95 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 44m 11.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −41° 29′ 51″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.92. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 49° N. South of latitude 49° 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 292 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 5,176.6 billion years.