Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 431
NGC 431 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 266.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 266.9 million light-years (81.83 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 116,600 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.58 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.98 |
| Luminosity | 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 14m 04.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +33° 42′ 15″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.98. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 56° S. North of latitude 56° 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 267 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 4,734.5 billion years.