Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3489
NGC 3489 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo, 39.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo |
| Distance | 39.4 million light-years (12.08 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 43,200 light-years · 0.49 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.31 |
| Luminosity | 0.48 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 00m 18.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +13° 54′ 04″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.31. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 76° S. North of latitude 76° 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 39 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 698.9 billion years.