Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3420
NGC 3420 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hydra, 279.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hydra |
| Distance | 279.5 million light-years (85.69 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 149,300 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.73 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.93 |
| Luminosity | 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 50m 09.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | −17° 14′ 33″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.93. 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 279 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 4,957.8 billion years.