Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 778
NGC 778 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Triangulum, 253.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Triangulum |
| Distance | 253.1 million light-years (77.61 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 111,400 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.36 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.09 |
| Luminosity | 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 00m 19.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +31° 18′ 47″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.09. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 59° S. North of latitude 59° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in October, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 253 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 4,490.4 billion years.