Galaxy · Elliptical
KKR 8
KKR 8 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 26.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 26.1 million light-years (8.00 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 4,436 light-years · 0.051 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −12.30 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 17.22 |
| Luminosity | 3.6 × 10⁻⁴ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 19m 14.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +3° 07′ 26″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 17.22. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 87° S. 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 26 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 462.9 billion years.