Galaxy · Spiral
ESO 115-021
ESO 115-021 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Horologium, 16.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Horologium |
| Distance | 16.3 million light-years (4.99 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 32,400 light-years · 0.37 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −16.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.39 |
| Luminosity | 0.012 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 37m 45.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −61° 20′ 28″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.39. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 29° N. South of latitude 29° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in October, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 16 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 288.7 billion years.