Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 3191
NGC 3191 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 429.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 429.1 million light-years (131.57 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 119,200 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.55 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.05 |
| Luminosity | 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 19m 04.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +46° 27′ 18″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.05. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 44° S. North of latitude 44° 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 429 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 7,612.4 billion years.