Galaxy · Elliptical
UMa II
UMa II is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 97,800 light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 97,800 light-years (30.0 kpc) |
| Diameter | 848.0 light-years · 0.0097 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −3.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.69 |
| Luminosity | 1.3 × 10⁻⁷ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 8h 51m 30.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +63° 07′ 48″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.69. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 27° S. North of latitude 27° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in January, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 98 thousand years ago. At that time Homo sapiens was spreading out of Africa; there was no farming yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 1.7 billion years.