Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3252
NGC 3252 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 53.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 53.8 million light-years (16.51 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 35,700 light-years · 0.41 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.97 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.12 |
| Luminosity | 0.067 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 34m 23.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +73° 45′ 54″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.12. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 16° S. North of latitude 16° 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 54 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 955.2 billion years.