Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 300
NGC 300 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sculptor, 6.20 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sculptor |
| Distance | 6.20 million light-years (1.90 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 65,200 light-years · 0.75 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.50 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 7.89 |
| Luminosity | 0.11 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 54m 53.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −37° 41′ 02″ |
| Source | Compiled catalogue (NED, approximate values) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 7.89); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 52° N. South of latitude 52° S 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 6.2 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 109.9 billion years.