Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 185
NGC 185 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cassiopeia, 1.99 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cassiopeia |
| Distance | 1.99 million light-years (610.0 kpc) |
| Diameter | 9,002 light-years · 0.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −15.30 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 8.63 |
| Luminosity | 0.0058 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 38m 58.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +48° 20′ 10″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 8.63); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 42° S. North of latitude 42° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in September, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 2.0 million years ago. At that time our ancestors were using stone tools; Homo sapiens did not exist yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 35.3 billion years.