Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 703
NGC 703 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 260.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 260.0 million light-years (79.71 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 103,900 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.46 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.05 |
| Luminosity | 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 52m 39.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +36° 10′ 17″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.05. 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 260 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 4,611.9 billion years.