Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 706
NGC 706 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pisces, 232.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Distance | 232.0 million light-years (71.14 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 127,700 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.86 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.40 |
| Luminosity | 2.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 51m 50.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +6° 17′ 49″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.40. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 84° S. 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 232 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 4,116.0 billion years.