Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 2228
NGC 2228 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Dorado, 338.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Dorado |
| Distance | 338.3 million light-years (103.71 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 133,000 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.21 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.87 |
| Luminosity | 3.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 6h 21m 15.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −64° 27′ 32″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.87. 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 338 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 6,000.4 billion years.