Galaxy · Elliptical
IC 1046
IC 1046 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Minor, 364.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Minor |
| Distance | 364.1 million light-years (111.64 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 122,400 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.79 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.45 |
| Luminosity | 0.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 37m 53.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +69° 00′ 52″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.45. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 21° S. North of latitude 21° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in April, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 364 million years ago. At that time complex animals were spreading through the seas and over the land; there were no dinosaurs yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 6,459.3 billion years.