Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 3163
NGC 3163 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo Minor, 291.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo Minor |
| Distance | 291.6 million light-years (89.40 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 111,500 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.55 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.21 |
| Luminosity | 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 14m 07.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +38° 39′ 09″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.21. 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 292 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 5,172.5 billion years.