Galaxy · Irregular
IC 10
IC 10 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cassiopeia, 2.15 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cassiopeia |
| Distance | 2.15 million light-years (660.0 kpc) |
| Diameter | 9,328 light-years · 0.11 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −16.60 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 7.50 |
| Luminosity | 0.019 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 20m 24.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +59° 17′ 30″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 7.50); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 31° S. North of latitude 31° 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 2.2 million years ago. At that time our ancestors were using stone tools; Homo sapiens did not exist yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 38.2 billion years.