Galaxy · Elliptical
KKSG31
KKSG31 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 30.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 30.3 million light-years (9.30 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 7,241 light-years · 0.083 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −12.90 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 16.94 |
| Luminosity | 6.3 × 10⁻⁴ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 38m 33.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | −10° 29′ 25″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 16.94. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 80° N. South of latitude 80° 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 30 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 538.1 billion years.