Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3109
NGC 3109 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hydra, 4.31 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hydra |
| Distance | 4.31 million light-years (1.32 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 25,000 light-years · 0.29 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −16.30 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 9.30 |
| Luminosity | 0.014 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 03m 07.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −26° 09′ 36″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 9.30. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 64° N. South of latitude 64° S 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 4.3 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 76.4 billion years.