Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 975
NGC 975 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 282.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 282.9 million light-years (86.73 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 111,000 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.87 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.82 |
| Luminosity | 2.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 33m 22.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +9° 36′ 06″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.82. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 80° S. 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 283 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 5,018.0 billion years.