Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 7042
NGC 7042 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pegasus, 236.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pegasus |
| Distance | 236.8 million light-years (72.60 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 140,600 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.06 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.24 |
| Luminosity | 2.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 21h 13m 45.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +13° 34′ 30″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.24. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 76° S. North of latitude 76° N 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 237 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 4,200.5 billion years.