Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 898
NGC 898 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 256.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 256.0 million light-years (78.50 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 183,600 light-years · 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.31 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.16 |
| Luminosity | 3.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 23m 20.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +41° 57′ 05″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.16. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 48° S. North of latitude 48° 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 256 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 4,541.8 billion years.