Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 2308
NGC 2308 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lynx, 272.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lynx |
| Distance | 272.7 million light-years (83.60 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 140,700 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.09 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.52 |
| Luminosity | 3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 6h 58m 37.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +45° 12′ 38″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.52. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 45° S. North of latitude 45° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in January, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 273 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 4,836.9 billion years.