Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 3156
NGC 3156 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sextans, 61.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sextans |
| Distance | 61.4 million light-years (18.83 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 35,200 light-years · 0.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.74 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.63 |
| Luminosity | 0.14 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 12m 41.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +3° 07′ 45″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.63. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 87° S. 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 61 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 1,089.5 billion years.