Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 846
NGC 846 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 238.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 238.5 million light-years (73.11 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 150,700 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.36 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.96 |
| Luminosity | 3.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 12m 12.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +44° 34′ 06″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.96. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 45° S. North of latitude 45° 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 238 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 4,230.0 billion years.