Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 235A
NGC 235A is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 310.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 310.5 million light-years (95.20 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 136,700 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.71 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.18 |
| Luminosity | 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 42m 52.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −23° 32′ 28″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.18. 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 311 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 5,508.1 billion years.