Galaxy · Spiral
IC 3591
IC 3591 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 32.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 32.0 million light-years (9.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 12,000 light-years · 0.14 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −16.30 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.66 |
| Luminosity | 0.014 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 37m 03.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +6° 55′ 36″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.66. 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 32 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 567.0 billion years.