Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 393
NGC 393 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 284.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 284.3 million light-years (87.17 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 150,800 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.28 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.42 |
| Luminosity | 3.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 08m 37.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +39° 38′ 39″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.42. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 50° S. North of latitude 50° 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 284 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 5,043.5 billion years.