Galaxy · Irregular
ESO 321-014
ESO 321-014 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Centaurus, 10.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Distance | 10.4 million light-years (3.18 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 4,501 light-years · 0.051 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −13.30 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.21 |
| Luminosity | 9.1 × 10⁻⁴ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 13m 49.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −38° 13′ 53″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.21. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 52° N. South of latitude 52° 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 10 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 184.0 billion years.