Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 109
IC 109 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 454.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 454.4 million light-years (139.31 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 151,300 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.75 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.97 |
| Luminosity | 2.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 25m 13.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +2° 04′ 01″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.97. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 88° S. It stands highest at midnight in October, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 454 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 8,060.2 billion years.