Galaxy · Irregular
MAPS1231+42
MAPS1231+42 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 18.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 18.9 million light-years (5.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 1,826 light-years · 0.021 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −11.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 17.12 |
| Luminosity | 2.1 × 10⁻⁴ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 31m 09.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +42° 05′ 39″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 17.12. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 48° S. North of latitude 48° 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 335.6 billion years.