Galaxy · Spiral
UGC 685
UGC 685 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pisces, 14.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Distance | 14.7 million light-years (4.51 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 10,700 light-years · 0.12 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −14.90 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.37 |
| Luminosity | 0.004 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 07m 22.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +16° 41′ 02″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.37. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 73° S. North of latitude 73° 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 15 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 260.9 billion years.