Galaxy · Irregular
MCG -04-31-038
MCG -04-31-038 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hydra, 25.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hydra |
| Distance | 25.4 million light-years (7.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 8,024 light-years · 0.092 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −15.30 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.16 |
| Luminosity | 0.0058 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 09m 36.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −27° 08′ 26″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.16. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 63° N. South of latitude 63° 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 25 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 451.3 billion years.