Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 238
NGC 238 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Phoenix, 401.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Phoenix |
| Distance | 401.0 million light-years (122.94 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 353,800 light-years · 4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.74 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.71 |
| Luminosity | 5.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 43m 25.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −50° 10′ 58″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.71. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 40° N. South of latitude 40° 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 401 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 7,113.1 billion years.