Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 1701
NGC 1701 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Caelum, 271.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Caelum |
| Distance | 271.9 million light-years (83.37 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 110,200 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.82 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.79 |
| Luminosity | 2.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 55m 51.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −29° 53′ 00″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.79. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 60° N. South of latitude 60° S it never sets. 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 272 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 4,823.6 billion years.