Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 7420
NGC 7420 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pegasus, 440.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pegasus |
| Distance | 440.7 million light-years (135.13 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 111,900 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.65 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.00 |
| Luminosity | 2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 22h 55m 32.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +29° 48′ 18″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.00. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 60° S. North of latitude 60° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in September, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 441 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 7,818.3 billion years.