Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 7490
NGC 7490 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pegasus, 289.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pegasus |
| Distance | 289.5 million light-years (88.76 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 180,400 light-years · 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.54 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.20 |
| Luminosity | 4.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 23h 07m 25.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +32° 22′ 30″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.20. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 58° S. North of latitude 58° 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 289 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 5,135.5 billion years.