Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3147
NGC 3147 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 130.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 130.6 million light-years (40.03 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 145,000 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.71 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.30 |
| Luminosity | 5.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 16m 53.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +73° 24′ 03″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.30. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 17° S. North of latitude 17° 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 131 million years ago. At that time dinosaurs ruled the Earth. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 2,316.1 billion years.