Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 3017
NGC 3017 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sextans, 290.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sextans |
| Distance | 290.2 million light-years (88.99 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 102,700 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.50 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.25 |
| Luminosity | 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 9h 49m 03.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −2° 49′ 18″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.25. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 87° N. 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 290 million years ago. At that time complex animals were spreading through the seas and over the land; there were no dinosaurs yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 5,148.8 billion years.