Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 2462
NGC 2462 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lynx, 401.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lynx |
| Distance | 401.3 million light-years (123.04 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 124,200 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.47 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.98 |
| Luminosity | 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 56m 32.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +56° 41′ 14″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.98. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 33° S. North of latitude 33° 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 401 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 7,118.8 billion years.