Galaxy · Irregular
SexA
SexA is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sextans, 4.31 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sextans |
| Distance | 4.31 million light-years (1.32 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 7,632 light-years · 0.087 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −14.50 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.10 |
| Luminosity | 0.0028 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 11m 00.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −4° 41′ 34″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.10. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 85° N. It stands highest at midnight in February, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 4.3 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 76.4 billion years.