Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 2274
NGC 2274 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Gemini, 236.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Gemini |
| Distance | 236.3 million light-years (72.46 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 148,700 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.56 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.74 |
| Luminosity | 4.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 6h 47m 17.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +33° 34′ 02″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.74. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 56° S. North of latitude 56° N 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 236 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 4,192.4 billion years.