Galaxy · Spiral
Orion
Orion is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Orion, 21.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Orion |
| Distance | 21.1 million light-years (6.46 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 36,500 light-years · 0.42 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.60 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.45 |
| Luminosity | 0.048 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 5h 45m 02.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +5° 04′ 06″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.45. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 85° S. It stands highest at midnight in December, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 21 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 373.8 billion years.