Galaxy · Spiral
ESO 553-046
ESO 553-046 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lepus, 16.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lepus |
| Distance | 16.5 million light-years (5.07 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 5,545 light-years · 0.063 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −14.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.83 |
| Luminosity | 0.0033 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 5h 27m 05.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | −20° 40′ 41″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.83. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 69° N. South of latitude 69° 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 17 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 293.3 billion years.