Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 541
NGC 541 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 252.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 252.6 million light-years (77.46 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 141,900 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.27 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.18 |
| Luminosity | 3.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 25m 44.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −1° 22′ 46″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.18. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 89° N. 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 253 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 4,481.7 billion years.