Galaxy · Spiral
Phantom (M74)
Phantom (M74) is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pisces, 29.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Distance | 29.4 million light-years (9.00 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 84,800 light-years · 0.97 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.80 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 8.97 |
| Luminosity | 0.91 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 36m 41.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +15° 46′ 59″ |
| Source | Compiled catalogue (NED, approximate values) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 8.97); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 74° S. North of latitude 74° 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 29 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 520.7 billion years.