Galaxy · Elliptical
BootesII
BootesII is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Boötes, 130,500 light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Boötes |
| Distance | 130,500 light-years (40.0 kpc) |
| Diameter | 260.9 light-years · 0.003 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −2.50 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 15.51 |
| Luminosity | 4.4 × 10⁻⁸ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 58m 00.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +12° 49′ 59″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 15.51. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 77° S. North of latitude 77° 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 130 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 2.3 billion years.