Galaxy · Irregular
HS117
HS117 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 12.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 12.9 million light-years (3.96 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 6,197 light-years · 0.071 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −11.80 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 16.19 |
| Luminosity | 2.3 × 10⁻⁴ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 21m 25.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +71° 06′ 58″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 16.19. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 19° S. North of latitude 19° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in February, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 13 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 229.1 billion years.