Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 3298
NGC 3298 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 629.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 629.5 million light-years (193.01 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 289,500 light-years · 3.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.84 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.59 |
| Luminosity | 6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 37m 12.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +50° 07′ 14″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.59. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 40° S. North of latitude 40° 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 630 million years ago. At that time the Earth held only single-celled organisms and the first multicellular life. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 11,167.2 billion years.