Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 45
NGC 45 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 30.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 30.0 million light-years (9.20 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 74,600 light-years · 0.85 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.72 |
| Luminosity | 0.19 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 14m 03.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | −23° 10′ 56″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.72. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 67° N. South of latitude 67° S 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 30 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 532.3 billion years.