Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 3591
NGC 3591 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Crater, 256.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Crater |
| Distance | 256.6 million light-years (78.67 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 122,700 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.78 |
| Luminosity | 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 14m 03.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −14° 05′ 14″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.78. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 76° N. South of latitude 76° S 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 257 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 4,551.7 billion years.