Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 2188
NGC 2188 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Columba, 24.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Columba |
| Distance | 24.1 million light-years (7.40 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 32,000 light-years · 0.37 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.25 |
| Luminosity | 0.076 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 6h 10m 09.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −34° 06′ 22″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.25. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 56° N. South of latitude 56° 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 24 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 428.1 billion years.