Galaxy · Irregular
Phoenix
Phoenix is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Phoenix, 1.44 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Phoenix |
| Distance | 1.44 million light-years (440.0 kpc) |
| Diameter | 2,348 light-years · 0.027 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −10.20 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.02 |
| Luminosity | 5.2 × 10⁻⁵ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 51m 06.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −44° 26′ 41″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.02. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 46° N. South of latitude 46° S 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 1.4 million years ago. At that time our ancestors were using stone tools; Homo sapiens did not exist yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 25.5 billion years.