Galaxy · Spiral
KUG 1218+387
KUG 1218+387 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 26.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 26.2 million light-years (8.03 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 9,002 light-years · 0.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −14.80 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.72 |
| Luminosity | 0.0036 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 20m 54.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +38° 25′ 49″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.72. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 52° S. North of latitude 52° N 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 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 464.6 billion years.