Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 642
NGC 642 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sculptor, 274.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sculptor |
| Distance | 274.1 million light-years (84.04 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 155,400 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.44 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.18 |
| Luminosity | 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 39m 06.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −29° 54′ 54″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.18. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 60° N. South of latitude 60° 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 274 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 4,862.4 billion years.