Galaxy · Spiral
IC 3583
IC 3583 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 24.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 24.8 million light-years (7.60 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 21,100 light-years · 0.24 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.00 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.40 |
| Luminosity | 0.028 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 36m 43.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +13° 15′ 34″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.40. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 77° S. North of latitude 77° 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 25 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 439.7 billion years.