Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 7658A
NGC 7658A is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Grus, 511.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Grus |
| Distance | 511.5 million light-years (156.84 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 134,100 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.49 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.49 |
| Luminosity | 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 23h 26m 24.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | −39° 12′ 58″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.49. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 51° N. South of latitude 51° S 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 512 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 9,074.4 billion years.