Galaxy · Irregular
ESO 238-005
ESO 238-005 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Grus, 25.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Grus |
| Distance | 25.4 million light-years (7.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 22,800 light-years · 0.26 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −15.40 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.06 |
| Luminosity | 0.0063 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 22h 22m 30.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −48° 24′ 18″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.06. 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 August, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 25 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 451.3 billion years.