Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 260
NGC 260 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 242.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 242.9 million light-years (74.46 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 74,000 light-years · 0.85 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.01 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.35 |
| Luminosity | 0.44 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 48m 34.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +27° 41′ 33″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.35. 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 243 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 4,308.1 billion years.