Galaxy · Irregular
GR8
GR8 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 6.95 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 6.95 million light-years (2.13 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 3,457 light-years · 0.04 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −12.60 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.04 |
| Luminosity | 4.8 × 10⁻⁴ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 58m 40.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +14° 13′ 03″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.04. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 76° S. North of latitude 76° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in April, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 6.9 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 123.2 billion years.