Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 2446
NGC 2446 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lynx, 264.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lynx |
| Distance | 264.1 million light-years (80.97 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 178,800 light-years · 2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.06 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.48 |
| Luminosity | 2.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 48m 39.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +54° 36′ 43″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.48. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 35° S. North of latitude 35° 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 4,684.8 billion years.