Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3661
NGC 3661 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Crater, 311.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Crater |
| Distance | 311.7 million light-years (95.56 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 173,900 light-years · 2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.17 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.73 |
| Luminosity | 3.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 23m 38.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −13° 49′ 52″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.73. 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 312 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 5,528.9 billion years.