Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 3478
NGC 3478 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 310.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 310.6 million light-years (95.24 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 76,200 light-years · 0.87 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.08 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.81 |
| Luminosity | 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 59m 25.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +46° 07′ 25″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.81. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 44° S. North of latitude 44° 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 311 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 5,510.4 billion years.