Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 2497
NGC 2497 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lynx, 380.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lynx |
| Distance | 380.8 million light-years (116.76 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 192,400 light-years · 2.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.39 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.95 |
| Luminosity | 3.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 8h 02m 11.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +56° 56′ 32″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.95. 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 381 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 6,755.5 billion years.