Galaxy · Elliptical
DDO 78
DDO 78 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 12.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 12.1 million light-years (3.72 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 7,306 light-years · 0.084 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −12.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 15.75 |
| Luminosity | 3.0 × 10⁻⁴ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 26m 27.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +67° 39′ 24″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 15.75. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 22° S. North of latitude 22° 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 215.2 billion years.