Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3299
NGC 3299 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo, 33.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo |
| Distance | 33.9 million light-years (10.40 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 24,000 light-years · 0.27 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.60 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.49 |
| Luminosity | 0.048 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 36m 23.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +12° 42′ 27″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.49. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 77° S. North of latitude 77° 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 34 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 601.7 billion years.