Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 3773
NGC 3773 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo, 45.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo |
| Distance | 45.8 million light-years (14.03 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 17,700 light-years · 0.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −16.95 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.79 |
| Luminosity | 0.026 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 38m 13.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +12° 06′ 43″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.79. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 78° S. North of latitude 78° 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 46 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 811.7 billion years.