Galaxy · Elliptical
BootesIII
BootesIII is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Boötes, 163,100 light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Boötes |
| Distance | 163,100 light-years (50.0 kpc) |
| Diameter | 2,544 light-years · 0.029 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −6.50 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.99 |
| Luminosity | 1.7 × 10⁻⁶ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 57m 07.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +26° 46′ 30″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.99. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 63° S. North of latitude 63° 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 163 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 2.9 billion years.