Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 304
NGC 304 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 232.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 232.6 million light-years (71.30 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 100,000 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.47 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.80 |
| Luminosity | 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 56m 06.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +24° 07′ 37″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.80. 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 233 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 4,125.3 billion years.