Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 2656
NGC 2656 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 635.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 635.5 million light-years (194.83 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 224,700 light-years · 2.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.84 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.61 |
| Luminosity | 6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 8h 47m 53.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +53° 52′ 34″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.61. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 36° S. North of latitude 36° 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 635 million years ago. At that time the Earth held only single-celled organisms and the first multicellular life. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 11,272.5 billion years.