Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 2800
NGC 2800 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 355.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 355.2 million light-years (108.89 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 184,500 light-years · 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.27 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.91 |
| Luminosity | 3.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 9h 18m 35.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +52° 30′ 52″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.91. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 37° S. North of latitude 37° 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 355 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 6,300.2 billion years.