Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 198
NGC 198 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pisces, 245.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Distance | 245.8 million light-years (75.36 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 109,500 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.78 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.61 |
| Luminosity | 2.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 39m 23.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +2° 47′ 52″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.61. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 87° S. 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 246 million years ago. At that time complex animals were spreading through the seas and over the land; there were no dinosaurs yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 4,360.2 billion years.