Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 230
NGC 230 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 314.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 314.9 million light-years (96.56 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 137,400 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.77 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.15 |
| Luminosity | 0.89 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 42m 27.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −23° 37′ 44″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.15. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 66° N. South of latitude 66° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in September, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 315 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 5,586.8 billion years.