Galaxy · Elliptical
IC 3131
IC 3131 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 50.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 50.6 million light-years (15.50 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 22,500 light-years · 0.26 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −16.67 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.28 |
| Luminosity | 0.02 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 18m 50.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +7° 51′ 43″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.28. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 82° S. It stands highest at midnight in March, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 51 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 896.8 billion years.