Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 916
NGC 916 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Aries, 447.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Aries |
| Distance | 447.9 million light-years (137.34 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 170,900 light-years · 2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.17 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.52 |
| Luminosity | 3.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 25m 47.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +27° 14′ 33″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.52. 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 448 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 7,946.2 billion years.