Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 3070
NGC 3070 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo, 250.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo |
| Distance | 250.1 million light-years (76.69 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 114,200 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.98 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.44 |
| Luminosity | 2.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 9h 58m 06.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +10° 21′ 35″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.44. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 80° S. North of latitude 80° 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 250 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 4,437.1 billion years.