Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 2315
NGC 2315 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lynx, 293.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lynx |
| Distance | 293.3 million light-years (89.94 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 177,400 light-years · 2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.23 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.54 |
| Luminosity | 3.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 02m 33.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +50° 35′ 26″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.54. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 39° S. North of latitude 39° 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 293 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 5,203.7 billion years.