Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 3144
NGC 3144 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 300.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 300.4 million light-years (92.09 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 128,900 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.40 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.42 |
| Luminosity | 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 15m 32.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +74° 13′ 13″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.42. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 16° S. North of latitude 16° 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 300 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 5,328.1 billion years.