Galaxy · Irregular
NGC 55
NGC 55 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sculptor, 6.85 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sculptor |
| Distance | 6.85 million light-years (2.10 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 65,200 light-years · 0.75 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.50 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 8.11 |
| Luminosity | 0.11 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 14m 53.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −39° 11′ 49″ |
| Source | Compiled catalogue (NED, approximate values) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 8.11); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 51° N. South of latitude 51° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in September, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 6.8 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 121.5 billion years.