Galaxy · Spiral
IC 3104
IC 3104 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Chamaeleon, 7.40 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Chamaeleon |
| Distance | 7.40 million light-years (2.27 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 11,200 light-years · 0.13 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −15.40 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.38 |
| Luminosity | 0.0063 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 18m 46.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −79° 43′ 34″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.38. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 10° N. South of latitude 10° S it never sets.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 7.4 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 131.3 billion years.