Galaxy · Elliptical
KDG218
KDG218 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 16.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 16.3 million light-years (5.00 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 8,937 light-years · 0.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −12.50 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 15.99 |
| Luminosity | 4.4 × 10⁻⁴ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 05m 44.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −7° 45′ 20″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 15.99. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 82° N. It stands highest at midnight in April, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 16 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 289.3 billion years.