Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 7550
NGC 7550 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pegasus, 236.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pegasus |
| Distance | 236.3 million light-years (72.46 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 129,700 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.34 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.96 |
| Luminosity | 3.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 23h 15m 16.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +18° 57′ 41″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.96. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 71° S. North of latitude 71° 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 236 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 4,192.4 billion years.