Galaxy · Irregular
DDO 87
DDO 87 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 24.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 24.3 million light-years (7.45 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 11,300 light-years · 0.13 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −14.90 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.46 |
| Luminosity | 0.004 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 49m 36.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +65° 31′ 50″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.46. 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 March, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 24 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 431.0 billion years.