Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 440
NGC 440 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Tucana, 233.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Tucana |
| Distance | 233.6 million light-years (71.63 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 81,700 light-years · 0.93 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.25 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.03 |
| Luminosity | 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 12m 48.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −58° 16′ 56″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.03. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 32° N. South of latitude 32° S 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 234 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 4,144.4 billion years.