Galaxy · Irregular
UGC 6881
UGC 6881 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo, 53.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo |
| Distance | 53.5 million light-years (16.40 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 25,100 light-years · 0.29 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −15.90 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 15.17 |
| Luminosity | 0.01 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 54m 44.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +20° 03′ 20″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 15.17. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 70° S. North of latitude 70° N 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 53 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 948.9 billion years.