Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 278
NGC 278 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cassiopeia, 29.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cassiopeia |
| Distance | 29.2 million light-years (8.96 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 21,100 light-years · 0.24 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.09 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.67 |
| Luminosity | 0.19 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 52m 04.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +47° 33′ 02″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.67. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 42° S. North of latitude 42° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in October, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 29 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 518.4 billion years.