Galaxy · Irregular
UGCA 281
UGCA 281 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 18.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 18.5 million light-years (5.68 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 5,675 light-years · 0.065 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −14.30 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.47 |
| Luminosity | 0.0023 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 26m 16.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +48° 29′ 31″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.47. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 42° S. North of latitude 42° 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 19 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 328.6 billion years.