Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 3022
NGC 3022 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sextans, 291.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sextans |
| Distance | 291.5 million light-years (89.37 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 160,800 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.96 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.80 |
| Luminosity | 2.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 9h 49m 39.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −5° 09′ 59″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.80. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 85° 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 291 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 5,170.8 billion years.