Galaxy · Irregular
NGC 746
NGC 746 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 32.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 32.7 million light-years (10.04 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 14,900 light-years · 0.17 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.00 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.01 |
| Luminosity | 0.028 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 57m 51.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +44° 55′ 07″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.01. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 45° S. North of latitude 45° N 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 33 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 580.9 billion years.