Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3432
NGC 3432 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo Minor, 30.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo Minor |
| Distance | 30.0 million light-years (9.20 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 44,700 light-years · 0.51 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.60 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.22 |
| Luminosity | 0.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 52m 31.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +36° 37′ 08″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.22. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 53° S. North of latitude 53° N 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 30 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 532.3 billion years.