Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 280
NGC 280 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 470.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 470.8 million light-years (144.36 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 208,700 light-years · 2.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.50 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.30 |
| Luminosity | 4.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 52m 30.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +24° 21′ 02″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.30. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 66° S. North of latitude 66° 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 471 million years ago. At that time complex animals were spreading through the seas and over the land; there were no dinosaurs yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 8,352.4 billion years.