Galaxy · Irregular
BK3N
BK3N is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 13.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 13.1 million light-years (4.02 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 1,305 light-years · 0.015 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −10.20 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 17.82 |
| Luminosity | 5.2 × 10⁻⁵ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 9h 53m 48.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +68° 58′ 09″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 17.82. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 21° S. North of latitude 21° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in February, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 13 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 232.6 billion years.