Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3906
NGC 3906 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 44.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 44.8 million light-years (13.73 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 23,900 light-years · 0.27 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −16.78 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.91 |
| Luminosity | 0.022 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 49m 40.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +48° 25′ 34″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.91. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 42° S. North of latitude 42° 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 45 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 794.4 billion years.