Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 42
NGC 42 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pegasus, 278.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pegasus |
| Distance | 278.7 million light-years (85.44 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 117,400 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.47 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.19 |
| Luminosity | 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 12m 56.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +22° 06′ 01″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.19. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 68° S. North of latitude 68° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in September, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 279 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 4,943.4 billion years.