Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 549
NGC 549 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sculptor, 283.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sculptor |
| Distance | 283.1 million light-years (86.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 69,300 light-years · 0.79 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.22 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.47 |
| Luminosity | 0.53 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 25m 07.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −38° 00′ 28″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.47. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 52° N. South of latitude 52° 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 283 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 5,022.1 billion years.