Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 982
NGC 982 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 267.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 267.3 million light-years (81.96 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 179,700 light-years · 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.73 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.84 |
| Luminosity | 5.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 35m 24.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +40° 52′ 11″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.84. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 49° S. North of latitude 49° 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 267 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 4,742.0 billion years.