NGC 727, a barred spiral galaxy
NGC 727 is a fascinating galaxy that's very far from our own Milky Way galaxy. It's a special kind of galaxy called a barred spiral galaxy. Imagine a giant pinwheel made of stars, gas, and dust, but with a straight bar of stars right through its center – that's what NGC 727 looks like!
Where is NGC 727 Located?
This amazing galaxy is found in the Fornax constellation. A constellation is like a picture that people imagine by connecting bright stars in the night sky. The Fornax constellation is named after a Latin word meaning "furnace" or "oven."
How Far Away is NGC 727?
NGC 727 is incredibly far away from us. It's about 446 million light-years from the Milky Way. A light-year is the distance that light travels in one whole year. Since light moves super fast (about 186,000 miles or 300,000 kilometers per second!), 446 million light-years is an enormous distance! It means the light we see from NGC 727 today actually left that galaxy 446 million years ago.
