Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 7556
NGC 7556 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pisces, 349.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Distance | 349.8 million light-years (107.24 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 223,500 light-years · 2.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.72 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.43 |
| Luminosity | 5.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 23h 15m 44.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −2° 22′ 53″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.43. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 88° N. 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 350 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 6,204.7 billion years.