Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 7240
NGC 7240 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lacerta, 278.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lacerta |
| Distance | 278.8 million light-years (85.49 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 109,900 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.34 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.32 |
| Luminosity | 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 22h 15m 22.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +37° 16′ 51″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.32. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 53° S. North of latitude 53° 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 279 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 4,946.3 billion years.