Galaxy · Spiral
ESO 558-011
ESO 558-011 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canis Major, 27.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canis Major |
| Distance | 27.4 million light-years (8.40 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 20,200 light-years · 0.23 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.60 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.02 |
| Luminosity | 0.048 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 06m 56.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −22° 02′ 26″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.02. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 68° N. South of latitude 68° 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 27 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 486.0 billion years.