Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3523
NGC 3523 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 333.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 333.9 million light-years (102.37 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 167,200 light-years · 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.85 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.20 |
| Luminosity | 2.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 03m 06.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +75° 06′ 57″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.20. 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 334 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 5,922.9 billion years.