Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 679
NGC 679 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 235.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 235.3 million light-years (72.13 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 116,400 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.98 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.31 |
| Luminosity | 2.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 49m 43.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +35° 47′ 08″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.31. 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 235 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 4,173.3 billion years.