Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 463
NGC 463 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pisces, 293.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Distance | 293.4 million light-years (89.96 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 114,300 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.21 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.56 |
| Luminosity | 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 18m 58.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +16° 19′ 32″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.56. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 74° S. North of latitude 74° 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 293 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 5,204.9 billion years.