Galaxy · Irregular
MCG +09-20-131
MCG +09-20-131 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 15.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 15.0 million light-years (4.59 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 4,436 light-years · 0.051 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −13.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.61 |
| Luminosity | 0.0013 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 15m 46.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +52° 23′ 15″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.61. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 38° S. North of latitude 38° 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 15 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 265.6 billion years.