Galaxy · Spiral
IC 3391
IC 3391 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 53.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 53.8 million light-years (16.49 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 36,000 light-years · 0.41 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.75 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.34 |
| Luminosity | 0.055 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 28m 27.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +18° 24′ 55″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.34. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 72° S. North of latitude 72° 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 54 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 954.1 billion years.