Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 2784
NGC 2784 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hydra, 32.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hydra |
| Distance | 32.0 million light-years (9.82 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 62,900 light-years · 0.72 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.30 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 9.66 |
| Luminosity | 0.58 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 9h 12m 19.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −24° 10′ 18″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 9.66. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 66° N. South of latitude 66° S 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 32 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 568.2 billion years.