Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3921
NGC 3921 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 274.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 274.7 million light-years (84.23 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 118,700 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.92 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.71 |
| Luminosity | 2.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 51m 06.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +55° 04′ 43″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.71. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 35° S. North of latitude 35° 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 275 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 4,873.4 billion years.