Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 861
NGC 861 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Triangulum, 382.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Triangulum |
| Distance | 382.0 million light-years (117.13 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 174,000 light-years · 2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.00 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.34 |
| Luminosity | 2.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 15m 51.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +35° 54′ 49″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.34. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 54° S. North of latitude 54° 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 382 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 6,776.9 billion years.