Galaxy · Spiral
ESO 59-001
ESO 59-001 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Volans, 14.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Volans |
| Distance | 14.9 million light-years (4.57 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 10,600 light-years · 0.12 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −15.60 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.70 |
| Luminosity | 0.0076 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 31m 19.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −68° 11′ 10″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.70. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 22° N. South of latitude 22° 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 15 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 264.4 billion years.