Galaxy · Spiral
ESO 501-023
ESO 501-023 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hydra, 22.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hydra |
| Distance | 22.8 million light-years (7.00 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 24,200 light-years · 0.28 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −16.90 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.33 |
| Luminosity | 0.025 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 35m 23.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −24° 45′ 15″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.33. 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 February, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 23 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 405.0 billion years.