Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 7138
NGC 7138 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pegasus, 391.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pegasus |
| Distance | 391.7 million light-years (120.09 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 162,000 light-years · 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.18 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.22 |
| Luminosity | 3.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 21h 49m 01.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +12° 30′ 51″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.22. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 77° S. North of latitude 77° 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 392 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 6,948.2 billion years.