Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 24
NGC 24 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sculptor, 32.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sculptor |
| Distance | 32.3 million light-years (9.90 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 65,200 light-years · 0.75 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.90 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.08 |
| Luminosity | 0.16 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 09m 56.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −24° 57′ 48″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.08. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 65° N. South of latitude 65° 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 32 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 572.8 billion years.