Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 2340
NGC 2340 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lynx, 276.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lynx |
| Distance | 276.1 million light-years (84.64 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 229,900 light-years · 2.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.58 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.06 |
| Luminosity | 4.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 11m 10.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +50° 10′ 29″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.06. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 40° S. North of latitude 40° 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 276 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 4,897.1 billion years.