Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3969
NGC 3969 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Crater, 322.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Crater |
| Distance | 322.9 million light-years (99.01 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 145,800 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.38 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.60 |
| Luminosity | 3.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 55m 09.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −18° 55′ 39″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.60. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 71° N. South of latitude 71° S 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 323 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 5,728.5 billion years.