Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 7681
NGC 7681 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pegasus, 319.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pegasus |
| Distance | 319.1 million light-years (97.84 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 177,200 light-years · 2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.65 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.30 |
| Luminosity | 5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 23h 28m 54.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +17° 18′ 35″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.30. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 73° S. North of latitude 73° 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 319 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 5,660.8 billion years.