Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 2591
NGC 2591 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Camelopardalis, 61.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Camelopardalis |
| Distance | 61.6 million light-years (18.90 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 38,900 light-years · 0.44 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.95 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.43 |
| Luminosity | 0.17 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 8h 37m 25.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +78° 01′ 35″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.43. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 12° S. North of latitude 12° N it never sets.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 62 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 1,093.5 billion years.