Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 2985
NGC 2985 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 61.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 61.6 million light-years (18.89 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 101,700 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.13 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.25 |
| Luminosity | 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 9h 50m 22.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +72° 16′ 43″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.25. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 18° S. North of latitude 18° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in February, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 62 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 1,092.9 billion years.