Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 590
NGC 590 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 230.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 230.9 million light-years (70.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 175,800 light-years · 2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.16 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.09 |
| Luminosity | 3.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 33m 40.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +44° 55′ 43″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.09. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 45° S. North of latitude 45° 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 231 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 4,096.3 billion years.