Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3254
NGC 3254 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo Minor, 63.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo Minor |
| Distance | 63.1 million light-years (19.36 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 116,600 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.74 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.69 |
| Luminosity | 0.34 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 29m 19.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +29° 29′ 29″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.69. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 61° S. North of latitude 61° 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 63 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 1,120.1 billion years.