Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 7639
NGC 7639 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pegasus, 375.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pegasus |
| Distance | 375.5 million light-years (115.13 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 224,000 light-years · 2.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.66 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.65 |
| Luminosity | 2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 23h 22m 48.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +11° 22′ 22″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.65. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 79° S. North of latitude 79° 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 376 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 6,661.2 billion years.