Galaxy · Elliptical
KK 217
KK 217 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Centaurus, 12.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Distance | 12.5 million light-years (3.84 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 2,740 light-years · 0.031 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −11.50 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 16.42 |
| Luminosity | 1.7 × 10⁻⁴ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 46m 17.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −45° 41′ 05″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 16.42. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 44° N. South of latitude 44° S 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 13 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 222.2 billion years.