Galaxy · Spiral
Sunflower (M63)
Sunflower (M63) is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 29.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 29.0 million light-years (8.90 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 94,600 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.00 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 8.75 |
| Luminosity | 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 15m 49.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +42° 01′ 44″ |
| Source | Compiled catalogue (NED, approximate values) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 8.75); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 48° S. North of latitude 48° N 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 29 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 514.9 billion years.