Galaxy · Elliptical
KK 166
KK 166 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 15.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 15.5 million light-years (4.74 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 2,740 light-years · 0.031 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −11.40 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 16.98 |
| Luminosity | 1.6 × 10⁻⁴ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 49m 13.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +35° 36′ 45″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 16.98. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 54° S. North of latitude 54° N it never sets. 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 15 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 274.2 billion years.