Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 761
NGC 761 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Triangulum, 234.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Triangulum |
| Distance | 234.3 million light-years (71.84 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 122,300 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.14 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.14 |
| Luminosity | 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 57m 49.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +33° 22′ 38″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.14. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 57° S. North of latitude 57° 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 234 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 4,156.5 billion years.