Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 904
NGC 904 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Aries, 249.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Aries |
| Distance | 249.7 million light-years (76.57 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 132,700 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.18 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.24 |
| Luminosity | 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 24m 05.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +27° 20′ 33″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.24. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 63° S. North of latitude 63° 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 250 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 4,430.2 billion years.