Galaxy · Irregular
NGC 2341
NGC 2341 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Gemini, 240.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Gemini |
| Distance | 240.5 million light-years (73.73 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 75,000 light-years · 0.86 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.90 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.44 |
| Luminosity | 2.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 09m 11.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +20° 36′ 10″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.44. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 69° S. North of latitude 69° 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 240 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 4,265.9 billion years.