Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 318
NGC 318 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pisces, 247.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Distance | 247.3 million light-years (75.81 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 71,200 light-years · 0.81 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.62 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.78 |
| Luminosity | 0.77 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 58m 05.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +30° 25′ 32″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.78. 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 247 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 4,386.2 billion years.