Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 3981
NGC 3981 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Crater, 80.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Crater |
| Distance | 80.3 million light-years (24.61 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 120,500 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.61 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.35 |
| Luminosity | 0.77 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 56m 07.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −19° 53′ 46″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.35. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 70° N. South of latitude 70° 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 80 million years ago. At that time dinosaurs ruled the Earth. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 1,423.9 billion years.