Galaxy · Spiral
MCG -03-34-002
MCG -03-34-002 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 25.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 25.8 million light-years (7.90 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 9,785 light-years · 0.11 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −15.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.79 |
| Luminosity | 0.0083 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 07m 56.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −16° 41′ 21″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.79. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 73° N. South of latitude 73° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in April, 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 457.1 billion years.