Galaxy · Irregular
KK 221
KK 221 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Centaurus, 13.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Distance | 13.0 million light-years (3.98 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 6,393 light-years · 0.073 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −11.90 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 16.10 |
| Luminosity | 2.5 × 10⁻⁴ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 48m 46.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −46° 59′ 49″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 16.10. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 43° N. South of latitude 43° 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 230.3 billion years.