Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 323
NGC 323 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Phoenix, 362.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Phoenix |
| Distance | 362.5 million light-years (111.13 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 162,500 light-years · 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.59 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.64 |
| Luminosity | 4.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 56m 41.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −52° 58′ 33″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.64. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 37° N. South of latitude 37° 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 362 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 6,429.8 billion years.