Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 86
NGC 86 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 260.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 260.5 million light-years (79.87 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 78,200 light-years · 0.89 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.44 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.07 |
| Luminosity | 0.65 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 21m 28.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +22° 33′ 23″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.07. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 67° S. North of latitude 67° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in September, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 261 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 4,621.1 billion years.