Galaxy · Irregular
[KK2000] 54
[KK2000] 54 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Centaurus, 15.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Distance | 15.0 million light-years (4.60 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 3,066 light-years · 0.035 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −11.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 17.21 |
| Luminosity | 1.2 × 10⁻⁴ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 21m 32.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −31° 53′ 11″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 17.21. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 58° N. South of latitude 58° 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 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 266.1 billion years.