Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 2681
NGC 2681 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 32.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 32.3 million light-years (9.89 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 53,700 light-years · 0.61 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.65 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.33 |
| Luminosity | 0.32 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 8h 53m 32.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +51° 18′ 49″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.33. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 39° S. North of latitude 39° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in January, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 32 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 572.2 billion years.