Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 3098
NGC 3098 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo, 64.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo |
| Distance | 64.6 million light-years (19.81 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 50,000 light-years · 0.57 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.29 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.19 |
| Luminosity | 0.23 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 02m 16.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +24° 42′ 40″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.19. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 65° S. North of latitude 65° 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 65 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 1,146.2 billion years.