Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 2496
NGC 2496 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canis Minor, 445.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canis Minor |
| Distance | 445.2 million light-years (136.51 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 205,200 light-years · 2.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.89 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.79 |
| Luminosity | 6.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 58m 37.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +8° 01′ 47″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.79. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 82° S. 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 445 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 7,898.2 billion years.