Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 7688
NGC 7688 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pegasus, 531.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pegasus |
| Distance | 531.0 million light-years (162.81 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 170,100 light-years · 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.31 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.75 |
| Luminosity | 3.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 23h 31m 05.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +21° 24′ 41″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.75. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 69° S. North of latitude 69° 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 531 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 9,419.9 billion years.