Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 3451
NGC 3451 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo Minor, 62.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo Minor |
| Distance | 62.2 million light-years (19.06 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 34,000 light-years · 0.39 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.28 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.12 |
| Luminosity | 0.09 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 54m 20.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +27° 14′ 23″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.12. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 63° S. North of latitude 63° 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 62 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 1,102.8 billion years.