Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 3222
NGC 3222 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo, 260.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo |
| Distance | 260.2 million light-years (79.79 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 144,200 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.80 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.71 |
| Luminosity | 2.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 22m 34.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +19° 53′ 14″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.71. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 70° S. North of latitude 70° 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 260 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 4,616.5 billion years.