Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 2426
NGC 2426 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lynx, 264.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lynx |
| Distance | 264.5 million light-years (81.09 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 120,200 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.80 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.74 |
| Luminosity | 2.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 43m 18.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +52° 19′ 07″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.74. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 38° S. North of latitude 38° 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 264 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 4,691.7 billion years.