Galaxy · Irregular
IC 3521
IC 3521 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 52.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 52.6 million light-years (16.13 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 20,800 light-years · 0.24 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.74 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.30 |
| Luminosity | 0.054 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 34m 39.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +7° 09′ 26″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.30. 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 53 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 933.2 billion years.