Galaxy · Irregular
IC 3268
IC 3268 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 58.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 58.3 million light-years (17.89 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 18,500 light-years · 0.21 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.48 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.78 |
| Luminosity | 0.043 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 24m 07.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +6° 36′ 27″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.78. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 83° 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 58 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 1,035.1 billion years.