Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3621
NGC 3621 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hydra, 21.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hydra |
| Distance | 21.9 million light-years (6.70 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 81,600 light-years · 0.93 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.40 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 8.73 |
| Luminosity | 0.63 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 18m 16.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −32° 48′ 42″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 8.73); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 57° N. South of latitude 57° 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 22 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 387.6 billion years.