Galaxy · Lenticular
M86
M86 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 49.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 49.6 million light-years (15.20 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 127,200 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.00 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 8.91 |
| Luminosity | 2.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 26m 11.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +12° 56′ 46″ |
| Source | Compiled catalogue (NED, approximate values) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 8.91); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 77° S. North of latitude 77° 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 50 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 879.4 billion years.