Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3197
NGC 3197 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 376.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 376.8 million light-years (115.53 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 196,200 light-years · 2.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.04 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.27 |
| Luminosity | 2.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 14m 27.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +77° 49′ 13″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.27. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 12° S. North of latitude 12° N it never sets.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 377 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 6,684.3 billion years.