NGC 255

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NGC 255 is a barred spiral galaxy in the Cetus constellation. It is about 53,000 light-years across and lies around 59 million light-years from Earth. Its visible brightness is magnitude 11.7 (B-band about 12.5), and its absolute magnitude in V is about −19.6. The galaxy is classified as SAB(rs)bc, meaning it has a central bar, a hint of a ring, and moderately loose spiral arms. It appears about 3.0 by 2.5 arcminutes across in the sky. NGC 255 was discovered by William Herschel on November 27, 1785. It is also known as MGC-02-03-017 and PGC 2802. The redshift is 0.005287, corresponding to a radial velocity of about 1,585 km/s.