Galaxy · Spiral
IC 3721
IC 3721 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 308.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 308.0 million light-years (94.44 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 113,000 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.67 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.21 |
| Luminosity | 2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 44m 53.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +18° 45′ 18″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.21. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 71° S. North of latitude 71° 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 308 million years ago. At that time complex animals were spreading through the seas and over the land; there were no dinosaurs yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 5,464.1 billion years.