Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 7291
NGC 7291 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pegasus, 480.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pegasus |
| Distance | 480.2 million light-years (147.23 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 239,300 light-years · 2.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.95 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.89 |
| Luminosity | 6.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 22h 28m 29.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +16° 46′ 59″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.89. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 73° S. North of latitude 73° 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 480 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 8,518.4 billion years.