Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 949
NGC 949 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Triangulum, 28.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Triangulum |
| Distance | 28.4 million light-years (8.70 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 20,500 light-years · 0.23 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.66 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.04 |
| Luminosity | 0.051 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 30m 48.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +37° 08′ 12″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.04. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 53° S. North of latitude 53° 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 28 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 503.4 billion years.