Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 3308
NGC 3308 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hydra, 165.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hydra |
| Distance | 165.6 million light-years (50.77 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 100,400 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.48 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.05 |
| Luminosity | 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 36m 22.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −27° 26′ 17″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.05. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 63° N. South of latitude 63° S 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 166 million years ago. At that time dinosaurs ruled the Earth. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 2,937.4 billion years.