Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 3303 NED02
NGC 3303 NED02 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo, 287.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo |
| Distance | 287.8 million light-years (88.23 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 121,300 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.55 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.18 |
| Luminosity | 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 37m 00.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +18° 08′ 09″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.18. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 72° S. North of latitude 72° 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 288 million years ago. At that time complex animals were spreading through the seas and over the land; there were no dinosaurs yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 5,104.8 billion years.