Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 466
NGC 466 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Tucana, 245.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Tucana |
| Distance | 245.2 million light-years (75.17 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 108,700 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.56 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.82 |
| Luminosity | 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 17m 13.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −58° 54′ 36″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.82. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 31° N. South of latitude 31° 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 245 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 4,349.2 billion years.