Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 7038
NGC 7038 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Indus, 230.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Indus |
| Distance | 230.1 million light-years (70.54 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 207,700 light-years · 2.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.54 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.70 |
| Luminosity | 4.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 21h 15m 07.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −47° 13′ 14″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.70. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 43° N. South of latitude 43° 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 230 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 4,081.3 billion years.