Galaxy · Irregular
And IV
And IV is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 20.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 20.6 million light-years (6.31 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 6,328 light-years · 0.072 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −12.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 16.30 |
| Luminosity | 5.2 × 10⁻⁴ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 42m 30.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +40° 34′ 33″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 16.30. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 49° S. North of latitude 49° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in September, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 21 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 365.1 billion years.