Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 3493
NGC 3493 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo Minor, 415.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo Minor |
| Distance | 415.0 million light-years (127.23 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 154,000 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.83 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.69 |
| Luminosity | 2.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 01m 27.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +27° 43′ 10″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.69. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 62° S. North of latitude 62° 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 415 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 7,361.3 billion years.