Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 1961
NGC 1961 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Camelopardalis, 183.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Camelopardalis |
| Distance | 183.3 million light-years (56.20 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 302,500 light-years · 3.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −23.16 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.59 |
| Luminosity | 8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 5h 42m 04.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +69° 22′ 42″ |
| 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 Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 21° S. North of latitude 21° N 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 183 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 3,251.6 billion years.