Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 1809
NGC 1809 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Dorado, 60.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Dorado |
| Distance | 60.6 million light-years (18.57 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 85,100 light-years · 0.97 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.18 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.16 |
| Luminosity | 0.21 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 5h 02m 05.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −69° 34′ 06″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.16. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 20° N. South of latitude 20° 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 61 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 1,074.4 billion years.