Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 487
NGC 487 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 277.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 277.2 million light-years (84.99 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 113,000 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.86 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.79 |
| Luminosity | 0.96 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 21m 55.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −16° 22′ 13″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.79. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 74° N. South of latitude 74° 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 277 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 4,917.3 billion years.