Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3724
NGC 3724 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Crater, 287.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Crater |
| Distance | 287.8 million light-years (88.23 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 91,500 light-years · 1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.30 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.43 |
| Luminosity | 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 34m 28.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | −9° 39′ 37″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.43. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 80° 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 288 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 5,104.8 billion years.