Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 2640
NGC 2640 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Carina, 49.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Carina |
| Distance | 49.0 million light-years (15.01 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 92,400 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.17 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 9.71 |
| Luminosity | 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 8h 37m 24.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −55° 07′ 25″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 9.71. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 35° N. South of latitude 35° S 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 49 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 868.4 billion years.