Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 3116
NGC 3116 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo Minor, 298.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo Minor |
| Distance | 298.2 million light-years (91.44 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 75,900 light-years · 0.87 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.65 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.16 |
| Luminosity | 0.79 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 06m 45.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +31° 05′ 52″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.16. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 59° S. North of latitude 59° 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 298 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 5,290.5 billion years.