Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 808
NGC 808 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 231.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 231.3 million light-years (70.91 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 95,400 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.23 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.02 |
| Luminosity | 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 03m 56.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −23° 18′ 42″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.02. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 67° N. South of latitude 67° S 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 231 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 4,102.7 billion years.