Galaxy · Elliptical
BootesI
BootesI is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Boötes, 228,300 light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Boötes |
| Distance | 228,300 light-years (70.0 kpc) |
| Diameter | 1,239 light-years · 0.014 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −6.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.13 |
| Luminosity | 1.2 × 10⁻⁶ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 00m 00.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +14° 30′ 00″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.13. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 75° S. North of latitude 76° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in April, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 228 thousand years ago. At that time Homo sapiens was spreading out of Africa; there was no farming yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 4.1 billion years.