Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 314
NGC 314 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sculptor, 261.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sculptor |
| Distance | 261.6 million light-years (80.21 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 83,200 light-years · 0.95 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.93 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.59 |
| Luminosity | 1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 56m 52.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −31° 57′ 47″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.59. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 58° N. South of latitude 58° 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 262 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 4,640.8 billion years.