Galaxy · Spiral
ESO 324-024
ESO 324-024 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Centaurus, 12.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Distance | 12.2 million light-years (3.73 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 12,900 light-years · 0.15 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −16.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.76 |
| Luminosity | 0.012 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 27m 37.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −41° 28′ 50″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.76. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 49° N. South of latitude 49° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in April, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 12 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 215.8 billion years.