Galaxy · Barred spiral
Southern Pinwheel (M83)
Southern Pinwheel (M83) is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hydra, 15.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hydra |
| Distance | 15.0 million light-years (4.60 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 84,800 light-years · 0.97 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.80 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 7.51 |
| Luminosity | 0.91 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 37m 01.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −29° 51′ 58″ |
| Source | Compiled catalogue (NED, approximate values) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 7.51); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 60° N. South of latitude 60° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in April, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 15 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 266.1 billion years.