Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 3598
NGC 3598 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo, 286.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo |
| Distance | 286.4 million light-years (87.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 133,500 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.96 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.76 |
| Luminosity | 2.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 15m 11.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +17° 15′ 46″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.76. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 73° S. North of latitude 73° 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 286 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 5,079.9 billion years.