Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 3838
NGC 3838 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 61.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 61.5 million light-years (18.86 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 33,100 light-years · 0.38 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.94 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.44 |
| Luminosity | 0.16 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 44m 13.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +57° 56′ 54″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.44. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 32° S. North of latitude 32° 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 62 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 1,091.2 billion years.