Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 797 NED02
NGC 797 NED02 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 263.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 263.4 million light-years (80.77 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 149,700 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.05 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.49 |
| Luminosity | 2.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 03m 27.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +38° 07′ 01″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.49. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 52° S. North of latitude 52° 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 263 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 4,673.2 billion years.