Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 2956
NGC 2956 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hydra, 449.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hydra |
| Distance | 449.1 million light-years (137.69 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 115,900 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.72 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.97 |
| Luminosity | 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 9h 39m 17.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −19° 06′ 04″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.97. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 71° N. South of latitude 71° 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 449 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 7,966.5 billion years.