Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 3748
NGC 3748 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo, 410.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo |
| Distance | 410.8 million light-years (125.94 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 107,700 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.97 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.53 |
| Luminosity | 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 37m 49.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +22° 01′ 34″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.53. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 68° S. North of latitude 68° 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 411 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 7,286.6 billion years.