Galaxy · Spiral
HIZSS008
HIZSS008 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canis Major, 24.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canis Major |
| Distance | 24.2 million light-years (7.43 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 34,400 light-years · 0.39 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.40 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 9.95 |
| Luminosity | 0.25 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 25m 22.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −24° 28′ 31″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 9.95. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 66° N. South of latitude 66° 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 24 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 429.9 billion years.