Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 860
NGC 860 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Triangulum, 411.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Triangulum |
| Distance | 411.8 million light-years (126.27 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 109,200 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.65 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.86 |
| Luminosity | 2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 15m 00.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +30° 46′ 44″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.86. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 59° S. North of latitude 59° 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 412 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 7,305.7 billion years.