Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 946
NGC 946 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 269.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 269.0 million light-years (82.46 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 115,900 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.79 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.79 |
| Luminosity | 2.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 30m 38.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +42° 13′ 56″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.79. 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 269 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 4,771.0 billion years.