Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3239
NGC 3239 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo, 25.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo |
| Distance | 25.8 million light-years (7.90 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 38,000 light-years · 0.43 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.79 |
| Luminosity | 0.13 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 25m 04.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +17° 09′ 49″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.79. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 73° S. North of latitude 73° 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 26 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 457.1 billion years.