Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 553
NGC 553 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pisces, 238.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Distance | 238.4 million light-years (73.10 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 88,100 light-years · 1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.11 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.21 |
| Luminosity | 0.48 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 26m 12.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +33° 24′ 18″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.21. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 57° S. North of latitude 57° N 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 238 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 4,229.4 billion years.