Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 653
NGC 653 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 254.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 254.8 million light-years (78.11 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 163,600 light-years · 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.58 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.88 |
| Luminosity | 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 42m 25.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +35° 38′ 18″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.88. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 54° S. North of latitude 54° 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 255 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 4,519.3 billion years.