Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 2955
NGC 2955 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo Minor, 326.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo Minor |
| Distance | 326.8 million light-years (100.19 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 158,400 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.07 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.93 |
| Luminosity | 2.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 9h 41m 16.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +35° 52′ 56″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.93. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 54° S. North of latitude 54° 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 327 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 5,796.8 billion years.