Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 959
NGC 959 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Triangulum, 27.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Triangulum |
| Distance | 27.8 million light-years (8.53 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 20,400 light-years · 0.23 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.17 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.48 |
| Luminosity | 0.032 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 32m 24.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +35° 29′ 41″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.48. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 55° S. North of latitude 55° 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 493.5 billion years.