Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 315
NGC 315 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pisces, 230.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Distance | 230.3 million light-years (70.60 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 205,500 light-years · 2.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −23.11 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.13 |
| Luminosity | 7.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 57m 48.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +30° 21′ 09″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.13. 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 230 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 4,084.8 billion years.