Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3104
NGC 3104 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo Minor, 52.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo Minor |
| Distance | 52.2 million light-years (16.00 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 53,400 light-years · 0.61 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.80 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.22 |
| Luminosity | 0.058 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 03m 57.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +40° 45′ 25″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.22. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 49° S. North of latitude 49° 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 52 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 925.7 billion years.