Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 780
NGC 780 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Triangulum, 243.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Triangulum |
| Distance | 243.3 million light-years (74.61 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 99,500 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.32 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.04 |
| Luminosity | 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 00m 35.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +28° 13′ 31″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.04. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 62° S. North of latitude 62° 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 243 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 4,316.8 billion years.