Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 7618
NGC 7618 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 241.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 241.8 million light-years (74.13 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 130,900 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.19 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.16 |
| Luminosity | 3.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 23h 19m 47.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +42° 51′ 09″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.16. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 47° S. North of latitude 47° 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 242 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 4,289.0 billion years.