Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 2178
NGC 2178 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pictor, 375.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pictor |
| Distance | 375.5 million light-years (115.13 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 148,300 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.28 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.03 |
| Luminosity | 3.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 6h 02m 47.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −63° 45′ 49″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.03. 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 376 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 6,661.2 billion years.