Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 641
NGC 641 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Phoenix, 294.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Phoenix |
| Distance | 294.6 million light-years (90.33 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 139,600 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.32 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.46 |
| Luminosity | 3.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 38m 39.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −42° 31′ 39″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.46. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 47° N. South of latitude 47° 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 295 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 5,226.3 billion years.