Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3184
NGC 3184 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 36.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 36.3 million light-years (11.12 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 79,200 light-years · 0.91 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.60 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 9.63 |
| Luminosity | 0.76 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 18m 17.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +41° 25′ 28″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 9.63. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 49° S. North of latitude 49° 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 36 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 643.4 billion years.