Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 2221
NGC 2221 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pictor, 118.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pictor |
| Distance | 118.0 million light-years (36.17 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 56,900 light-years · 0.65 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.84 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.95 |
| Luminosity | 0.38 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 6h 20m 15.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | −57° 34′ 42″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.95. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 32° N. South of latitude 32° 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 118 million years ago. At that time dinosaurs ruled the Earth. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 2,092.7 billion years.