Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 404
NGC 404 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 9.95 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 9.95 million light-years (3.05 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 10,600 light-years · 0.12 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.32 |
| Luminosity | 0.03 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 09m 26.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +35° 43′ 03″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.32. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 54° S. North of latitude 54° 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 9.9 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 176.5 billion years.