Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 2148
NGC 2148 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pictor, 473.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pictor |
| Distance | 473.1 million light-years (145.04 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 204,400 light-years · 2.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.80 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.01 |
| Luminosity | 5.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 5h 58m 45.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −59° 07′ 33″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.01. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 31° N. South of latitude 31° 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 473 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 8,391.7 billion years.