Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 7273
NGC 7273 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lacerta, 236.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lacerta |
| Distance | 236.2 million light-years (72.43 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 82,200 light-years · 0.94 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.33 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.97 |
| Luminosity | 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 22h 24m 09.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +36° 11′ 59″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.97. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 54° S. North of latitude 54° 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 236 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 4,190.7 billion years.