Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 1668
NGC 1668 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Caelum, 468.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Caelum |
| Distance | 468.2 million light-years (143.56 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 229,100 light-years · 2.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.72 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.07 |
| Luminosity | 5.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 46m 05.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | −44° 44′ 00″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.07. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 45° N. South of latitude 45° 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 468 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 8,306.1 billion years.