Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 2787
NGC 2787 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 24.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 24.4 million light-years (7.48 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 26,100 light-years · 0.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.27 |
| Luminosity | 0.19 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 9h 19m 18.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +69° 12′ 12″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.27. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 21° S. North of latitude 21° 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 24 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 432.8 billion years.