Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 2406
NGC 2406 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Gemini, 386.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Gemini |
| Distance | 386.4 million light-years (118.47 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 119,800 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.68 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.69 |
| Luminosity | 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 31m 47.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +18° 17′ 16″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.69. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 72° S. North of latitude 72° 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 386 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 6,854.4 billion years.