Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 59
NGC 59 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 17.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 17.3 million light-years (5.30 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 11,500 light-years · 0.13 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −16.30 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.32 |
| Luminosity | 0.014 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 15m 25.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −21° 26′ 38″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.32. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 69° N. South of latitude 69° 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 17 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 306.6 billion years.