Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 2403
NGC 2403 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Camelopardalis, 10.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Camelopardalis |
| Distance | 10.4 million light-years (3.20 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 68,500 light-years · 0.78 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.30 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 8.23 |
| Luminosity | 0.23 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 36m 51.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +65° 36′ 11″ |
| Source | Compiled catalogue (NED, approximate values) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 8.23); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 24° S. North of latitude 24° 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 10 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 185.1 billion years.