Galaxy · Spiral
ESO 495-021
ESO 495-021 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pyxis, 26.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pyxis |
| Distance | 26.0 million light-years (7.96 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 17,400 light-years · 0.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.20 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.30 |
| Luminosity | 0.083 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 8h 36m 15.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −26° 24′ 34″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.30. 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 January, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 26 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 460.5 billion years.