Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 3234
NGC 3234 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo Minor, 299.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo Minor |
| Distance | 299.1 million light-years (91.69 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 116,800 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.71 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.10 |
| Luminosity | 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 24m 59.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +28° 01′ 26″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.10. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 62° S. North of latitude 62° 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 299 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 5,305.0 billion years.