Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 2768
NGC 2768 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 64.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 64.0 million light-years (19.61 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 179,300 light-years · 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.28 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.18 |
| Luminosity | 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 9h 11m 37.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +60° 02′ 14″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.18. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 30° S. North of latitude 30° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in February, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 64 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 1,134.6 billion years.