Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 3462
NGC 3462 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo, 300.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo |
| Distance | 300.2 million light-years (92.03 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 154,100 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.36 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.46 |
| Luminosity | 3.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 55m 21.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +7° 41′ 48″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.46. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 82° S. 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 300 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 5,324.7 billion years.