Galaxy · Spiral
LV J1217+3231
LV J1217+3231 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 19.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 19.3 million light-years (5.93 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 3,653 light-years · 0.042 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −11.30 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 17.57 |
| Luminosity | 1.4 × 10⁻⁴ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 17m 32.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +32° 31′ 57″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 17.57. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 57° S. North of latitude 57° 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 19 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 343.1 billion years.