Galaxy · Spiral
ESO 486-021
ESO 486-021 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lepus, 32.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lepus |
| Distance | 32.6 million light-years (10.00 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 14,700 light-years · 0.17 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −16.40 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.60 |
| Luminosity | 0.016 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 5h 03m 19.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | −25° 25′ 23″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.60. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 65° N. South of latitude 65° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in December, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 33 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 578.6 billion years.