Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 7087
NGC 7087 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Grus, 237.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Grus |
| Distance | 237.0 million light-years (72.67 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 100,500 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.74 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.57 |
| Luminosity | 2.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 21h 34m 33.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −40° 49′ 07″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.57. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 49° N. South of latitude 49° 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 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 4,204.5 billion years.