Galaxy · Irregular
DDO 68
DDO 68 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo, 32.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo |
| Distance | 32.0 million light-years (9.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 18,100 light-years · 0.21 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −15.90 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.06 |
| Luminosity | 0.01 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 9h 56m 45.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +28° 49′ 30″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.06. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 61° S. North of latitude 61° 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 32 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 567.0 billion years.