Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 420
NGC 420 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pisces, 233.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Distance | 233.4 million light-years (71.57 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 113,200 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.66 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.61 |
| Luminosity | 2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 12m 09.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +32° 07′ 24″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.61. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 58° S. North of latitude 58° 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 233 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 4,140.9 billion years.