Galaxy · Spiral
MAPS1206+31
MAPS1206+31 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 24.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 24.2 million light-years (7.43 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 5,088 light-years · 0.058 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −14.20 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 15.15 |
| Luminosity | 0.0021 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 06m 34.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +31° 20′ 33″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 15.15. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 59° S. North of latitude 59° 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 24 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 429.9 billion years.