Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 3150
NGC 3150 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo Minor, 339.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo Minor |
| Distance | 339.5 million light-years (104.09 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 117,600 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.63 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.46 |
| Luminosity | 0.78 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 13m 26.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +38° 39′ 28″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.46. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 51° S. North of latitude 51° 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 339 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 6,022.4 billion years.