Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 7002
NGC 7002 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Indus, 342.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Indus |
| Distance | 342.5 million light-years (105.01 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 166,100 light-years · 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.44 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.67 |
| Luminosity | 4.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 21h 03m 44.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −49° 01′ 47″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.67. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 41° N. South of latitude 41° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in August, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 343 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 6,075.7 billion years.