Galaxy · Spiral
IC 3308
IC 3308 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 41.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 41.7 million light-years (12.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 18,200 light-years · 0.21 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −16.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.44 |
| Luminosity | 0.012 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 25m 17.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +26° 42′ 53″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.44. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 63° S. North of latitude 63° N it never sets. 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 42 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 740.6 billion years.