Galaxy · Irregular
DDO 53
DDO 53 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 11.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 11.6 million light-years (3.56 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 6,980 light-years · 0.08 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −14.00 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.76 |
| Luminosity | 0.0017 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 8h 34m 06.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +66° 10′ 45″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.76. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 24° S. North of latitude 24° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in January, 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 206.0 billion years.