Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3409
NGC 3409 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hydra, 286.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hydra |
| Distance | 286.7 million light-years (87.90 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 118,600 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.68 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.04 |
| Luminosity | 0.82 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 50m 20.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −17° 02′ 37″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.04. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 73° N. South of latitude 73° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in March, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 287 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 5,085.7 billion years.