Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 472
NGC 472 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pisces, 247.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Distance | 247.5 million light-years (75.89 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 96,700 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.13 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.27 |
| Luminosity | 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 20m 28.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +32° 42′ 32″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.27. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 57° S. North of latitude 57° 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 248 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 4,390.8 billion years.
