Galaxy · Spiral
ESO 497-004
ESO 497-004 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pyxis, 62.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pyxis |
| Distance | 62.0 million light-years (19.00 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 23,700 light-years · 0.27 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −16.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.69 |
| Luminosity | 0.021 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 9h 03m 03.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −23° 48′ 30″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.69. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 66° N. South of latitude 66° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in February, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 62 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 1,099.3 billion years.