Galaxy · Irregular
[CKT2009]d0959+68
[CKT2009]d0959+68 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 11.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 11.7 million light-years (3.60 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 2,870 light-years · 0.033 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −10.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 17.08 |
| Luminosity | 8.3 × 10⁻⁵ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 9h 59m 33.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +68° 39′ 25″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 17.08. 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 12 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 208.3 billion years.