Galaxy · Irregular
ESO 215-009
ESO 215-009 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Vela, 17.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Vela |
| Distance | 17.1 million light-years (5.25 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 12,000 light-years · 0.14 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −14.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.50 |
| Luminosity | 0.0019 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 57m 30.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −48° 10′ 44″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.50. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 42° N. South of latitude 42° S 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 17 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 303.8 billion years.