Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3212
NGC 3212 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 452.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 452.6 million light-years (138.77 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 175,900 light-years · 2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.66 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.05 |
| Luminosity | 2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 28m 16.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +79° 49′ 24″ |
| 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 10° S. North of latitude 10° N it never sets.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 453 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 8,028.9 billion years.