Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 855
NGC 855 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Triangulum, 31.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Triangulum |
| Distance | 31.7 million light-years (9.73 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 29,100 light-years · 0.33 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.60 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.34 |
| Luminosity | 0.048 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 14m 03.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +27° 52′ 38″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.34. 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 32 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 563.0 billion years.