Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 2997
NGC 2997 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Antlia, 50.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Antlia |
| Distance | 50.7 million light-years (15.54 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 166,500 light-years · 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.68 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 9.28 |
| Luminosity | 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 9h 45m 38.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −31° 11′ 28″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 9.28. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 59° N. South of latitude 59° S 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 51 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 899.1 billion years.