Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 1947
NGC 1947 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Dorado, 51.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Dorado |
| Distance | 51.2 million light-years (15.71 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 57,900 light-years · 0.66 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.39 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.59 |
| Luminosity | 0.63 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 5h 26m 47.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −63° 45′ 36″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.59. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 26° N. South of latitude 26° 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 51 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 908.9 billion years.