The sky around NGC 7331 at true scale, north up and east left, with stars to magnitude 8. The circles show the field of a low-power eyepiece and of 10×50 binoculars.
NGC 7331 is a spiral galaxy in Pegasus, 49 million light-years away
NGC 7331 (Caldwell 30, Herschel 400 no. 388, PGC 69327, UGC 12113) is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Pegasus, 49 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 9.4 and spans 9.3′ × 3.8′ of sky, about 133,100 light-years across. It is visible in 10×50 or larger binoculars, and it is highest in the evening sky in October.
Galaxy: a system of billions of stars, gas and dust held together by gravity, far outside the Milky Way. Spiral galaxies have a disk with arms; elliptical galaxies are smooth, round or oval swarms of older stars.
Finding NGC 7331 from Matar
NGC 7331 lies 4.4° north of Matar, the magnitude 2.9 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 7331 is highest in the evening in October
The chart gives its height above the horizon at 9 pm through the year, from 60°N to 40°S. It can be seen from the whole northern hemisphere and south to about 56°S, and never sets north of 56°N.
NGC 7331 is 49 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 7331 tonight left it about 49 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. It ranks 101 of 109 by distance among the 109 Caldwell objects. Distance source: Cepheids, Hughes et al. 1998.
Objects within 6° of NGC 7331
No other Messier, Caldwell or Herschel 400 object lies within 6°.
NGC 7331 catalog data
Field
Value
Designations
Caldwell 30, NGC 7331, Herschel 400 no. 388, PGC 69327, UGC 12113
