Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 7012
NGC 7012 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Microscopium, 410.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Microscopium |
| Distance | 410.0 million light-years (125.69 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 299,500 light-years · 3.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.96 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.54 |
| Luminosity | 6.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 21h 06m 45.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −44° 48′ 53″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.54. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 45° N. South of latitude 45° 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 410 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 7,272.2 billion years.