Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 2521
NGC 2521 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lynx, 257.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lynx |
| Distance | 257.2 million light-years (78.86 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 119,400 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.57 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.91 |
| Luminosity | 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 8h 08m 49.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +57° 46′ 11″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.91. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 32° S. North of latitude 32° 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 257 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 4,562.7 billion years.