Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 311
NGC 311 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pisces, 236.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Distance | 236.0 million light-years (72.36 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 112,900 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.49 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.81 |
| Luminosity | 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 57m 32.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +30° 16′ 51″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.81. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 60° S. North of latitude 60° 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 236 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 4,186.6 billion years.