Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3978
NGC 3978 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 464.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 464.9 million light-years (142.54 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 243,800 light-years · 2.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.87 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.90 |
| Luminosity | 6.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 56m 10.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +60° 31′ 30″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.90. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 29° S. North of latitude 29° 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 465 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 8,247.1 billion years.