Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 3115
NGC 3115 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sextans, 31.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sextans |
| Distance | 31.6 million light-years (9.68 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 78,400 light-years · 0.9 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.40 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 8.53 |
| Luminosity | 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 05m 14.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −7° 43′ 07″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 8.53); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 82° 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 32 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 560.1 billion years.