Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 3880
NGC 3880 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 468.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 468.4 million light-years (143.60 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 161,100 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.14 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.65 |
| Luminosity | 3.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 46m 22.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +33° 09′ 42″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.65. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 57° S. North of latitude 57° 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 468 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 8,308.4 billion years.