M77

Alt. Designations: NGC 1068, ARP 37
Object Type: Spiral Galaxy
Constellation: Cetus
Distance: 47 mly
Right Ascension: 02h 42m 40.8s
Declination: -00° 00´ 46"
Visual Magnitude: 8.8
Apparent Dimension: 7.1´ x 6.0´
Best Month To View: Nov

The constellation Cetus is the location of a beautiful spiral galaxy known as M77. This is one of the largest galaxies in the Messier catalog. The brightest parts of this galaxy measure about 120,000 light-years in diameter, but its fainter extensions bring it out to a total of 170,000 light-years. This galaxy is believed to be located around 60 million light-years from Earth and is receding from us at a whopping 1100 km/sec. Visually, it appears as a large spiral with broad structured arms. At a magnitude of 8.8, it can easily be located with a pair of binoculars on a good night. Large telescopes will reveal some of the more intricate details in this galaxy.