Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 725
NGC 725 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 484.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 484.0 million light-years (148.39 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 151,500 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.50 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.36 |
| Luminosity | 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 52m 35.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −16° 31′ 04″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.36. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 73° N. South of latitude 73° S it never sets. 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 484 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 8,585.5 billion years.