Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 3721
NGC 3721 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Crater, 290.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Crater |
| Distance | 290.5 million light-years (89.07 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 128,400 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.73 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.02 |
| Luminosity | 0.86 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 34m 07.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −9° 28′ 02″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.02. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 81° N. 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 291 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 5,153.4 billion years.