Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 543
NGC 543 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 246.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 246.8 million light-years (75.66 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 80,500 light-years · 0.92 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.44 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.95 |
| Luminosity | 0.65 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 25m 50.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −1° 17′ 34″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.95. 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 247 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 4,377.5 billion years.