Galaxy · Irregular
NGC 317B
NGC 317B is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 253.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 253.0 million light-years (77.56 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 127,900 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.28 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.17 |
| Luminosity | 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 57m 41.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +43° 47′ 33″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.17. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 46° S. North of latitude 46° 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 253 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 4,487.5 billion years.