Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 1690
NGC 1690 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Orion, 408.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Orion |
| Distance | 408.3 million light-years (125.19 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 148,100 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.28 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.21 |
| Luminosity | 3.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 54m 19.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +1° 38′ 25″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.21. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 88° S. It stands highest at midnight in December, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 408 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 7,243.2 billion years.