Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3917
NGC 3917 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 45.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 45.0 million light-years (13.79 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 80,200 light-years · 0.92 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.94 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.76 |
| Luminosity | 0.16 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 50m 45.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +51° 49′ 27″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.76. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 38° S. North of latitude 38° 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 797.9 billion years.