Galaxy · Irregular
[KK2000] 51
[KK2000] 51 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Centaurus, 11.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Distance | 11.7 million light-years (3.60 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 1,957 light-years · 0.022 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −11.50 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 16.28 |
| Luminosity | 1.7 × 10⁻⁴ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 44m 21.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −42° 56′ 23″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 16.28. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 47° N. South of latitude 47° S 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 12 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 208.3 billion years.