Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3500
NGC 3500 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 161.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 161.5 million light-years (49.53 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 60,900 light-years · 0.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.77 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.70 |
| Luminosity | 0.35 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 01m 51.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +75° 12′ 05″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.70. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 15° S. North of latitude 15° N it never sets.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 162 million years ago. At that time dinosaurs ruled the Earth. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 2,865.7 billion years.