NGC 503 facts for kids
NGC 503 is a fascinating elliptical galaxy located in the Pisces constellation. Imagine looking up at the night sky and seeing a faint, fuzzy patch – that might be a galaxy like NGC 503! It's incredibly far from our own Milky Way galaxy, about 271 million light-years away. That's a distance so huge it's hard to even picture!
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What is NGC 503?
NGC 503 is a type of galaxy known as an elliptical galaxy. Unlike spiral galaxies, which have beautiful arms, elliptical galaxies are shaped more like a stretched-out ball or an egg. They can be very round or quite flat.
Where is NGC 503 located?
This galaxy is found in the constellation of Pisces. Pisces is one of the 12 constellations of the zodiac, often pictured as two fish connected by a cord. Even though NGC 503 is in Pisces, you wouldn't be able to see it with just your eyes because it's so far away and faint. Powerful telescopes are needed to observe it.
How far away is NGC 503?
NGC 503 is about 271 million light-years from Earth. A light-year is the distance light travels in one year. Since light travels incredibly fast (about 300,000 kilometers per second!), 271 million light-years is an enormous distance. This means the light we see from NGC 503 today actually left the galaxy 271 million years ago! We are looking back in time when we observe it.
Discovery of NGC 503
NGC 503 was discovered by an astronomer named Heinrich Louis d'Arrest in 1863. Astronomers like him spent many hours looking through telescopes to find and catalog new objects in space, helping us learn more about the universe.
See also
In Spanish: NGC 503 para niños
