Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3101
NGC 3101 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sextans, 266.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sextans |
| Distance | 266.2 million light-years (81.63 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 104,700 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.63 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.93 |
| Luminosity | 0.78 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 01m 35.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −2° 59′ 40″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.93. 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 266 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 4,722.9 billion years.