Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 7426
NGC 7426 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lacerta, 248.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lacerta |
| Distance | 248.1 million light-years (76.07 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 153,900 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.43 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.98 |
| Luminosity | 4.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 22h 56m 02.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +36° 21′ 41″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.98. 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 September, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 248 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 4,401.3 billion years.