Galaxy · Irregular
ESO 381-020
ESO 381-020 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Centaurus, 17.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Distance | 17.8 million light-years (5.45 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 14,900 light-years · 0.17 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −15.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.58 |
| Luminosity | 0.0048 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 46m 00.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −33° 50′ 17″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.58. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 56° N. South of latitude 56° 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 18 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 315.3 billion years.