Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 2290
NGC 2290 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Gemini, 235.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Gemini |
| Distance | 235.0 million light-years (72.04 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 96,100 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.42 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.87 |
| Luminosity | 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 6h 50m 56.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +33° 26′ 15″ |
| 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 Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 57° S. North of latitude 57° 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 235 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 4,168.1 billion years.