Galaxy · Irregular
ESO 223-009
ESO 223-009 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lupus, 21.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lupus |
| Distance | 21.2 million light-years (6.49 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 20,500 light-years · 0.24 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.00 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.06 |
| Luminosity | 0.028 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 15h 01m 08.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −48° 17′ 33″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.06. 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 May, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 21 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 375.5 billion years.