Galaxy · Irregular
ESO 489-056
ESO 489-056 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canis Major, 16.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canis Major |
| Distance | 16.3 million light-years (4.99 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 3,588 light-years · 0.041 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −13.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.79 |
| Luminosity | 0.0013 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 6h 26m 17.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −26° 15′ 56″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.79. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 64° N. South of latitude 64° 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 16 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 288.7 billion years.