Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 623
NGC 623 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sculptor, 417.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sculptor |
| Distance | 417.3 million light-years (127.93 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 235,000 light-years · 2.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.86 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.67 |
| Luminosity | 6.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 35m 06.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −36° 29′ 25″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.67. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 54° N. South of latitude 54° 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 417 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 7,401.8 billion years.