Galaxy · Elliptical
PiscesII
PiscesII is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pisces, 587,100 light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Distance | 587,100 light-years (180.0 kpc) |
| Diameter | 326.2 light-years · 0.0037 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −5.00 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 16.28 |
| Luminosity | 4.4 × 10⁻⁷ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 22h 58m 31.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +5° 57′ 09″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 16.28. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 84° S. It stands highest at midnight in September, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 587 thousand 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 10.4 billion years.