NGC 406 | |
---|---|
Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
Constellation | Tucana |
Right ascension | 01h 07m 25.060s |
Declination | −69° 52′ 45.27″ |
Redshift | 0.005030[1] |
Heliocentric radial velocity | 1508[1] |
Distance | 66.30 ± 6.27 Mly (20.329 ± 1.923 Mpc)[1] |
Apparent magnitude (B) | 13.02[2] |
Characteristics | |
Type | SA(s)c[2] |
Size | 60,000 ly (18,000 pc) |
Other designations | |
ESO 51-18, PGC 3980 |
NGC 406 is a spiral galaxy quite similar to the well known Whirlpool Galaxy, located some 65 million light-years away,[1] in the southern constellation of Tucana (the Toucan) and discovered in 1834 by John Herschel. It is described in the New General Catalogue as "faint, very large, round, very gradually a little brighter middle".[3] NGC 406 is about 60000 light-years across, roughly half the diameter of the Milky Way.