Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 204
NGC 204 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pisces, 251.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Distance | 251.2 million light-years (77.03 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 107,300 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.62 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.81 |
| Luminosity | 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 39m 44.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +3° 17′ 59″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.81. 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 251 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 4,456.8 billion years.