Galaxy · Spiral
UGCA 442
UGCA 442 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sculptor, 13.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sculptor |
| Distance | 13.9 million light-years (4.27 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 24,000 light-years · 0.27 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −15.30 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.85 |
| Luminosity | 0.0058 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 23h 43m 46.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −31° 57′ 33″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.85. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 58° N. South of latitude 58° S it never sets. 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 14 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 247.1 billion years.