Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 1706
NGC 1706 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Dorado, 227.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Dorado |
| Distance | 227.8 million light-years (69.84 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 96,600 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.31 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.91 |
| Luminosity | 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 52m 31.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −62° 59′ 09″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.91. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 27° N. South of latitude 27° 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 228 million years ago. At that time dinosaurs ruled the Earth. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 4,040.8 billion years.