Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 631
NGC 631 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pisces, 262.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Distance | 262.5 million light-years (80.49 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 121,500 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.82 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.71 |
| Luminosity | 0.93 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 36m 47.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +5° 50′ 07″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.71. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 84° S. 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 263 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 4,657.0 billion years.