Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 881
NGC 881 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 245.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 245.2 million light-years (75.19 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 147,300 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.12 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.26 |
| Luminosity | 3.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 18m 45.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −6° 38′ 21″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.26. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 83° N. 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 245 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 4,350.3 billion years.