Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 252
NGC 252 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 230.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 230.1 million light-years (70.54 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 133,500 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.32 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.92 |
| Luminosity | 3.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 48m 01.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +27° 37′ 26″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.92. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 62° S. North of latitude 62° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in September, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 230 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 4,081.3 billion years.