Galaxy · Spiral
CIRCINUS
CIRCINUS is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Circinus, 13.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Circinus |
| Distance | 13.7 million light-years (4.20 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 66,100 light-years · 0.76 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.30 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 6.82 |
| Luminosity | 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 13m 09.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −65° 20′ 21″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 6.82); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 25° N. South of latitude 25° S 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 14 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 243.0 billion years.