Galaxy · Spiral
IC 1147
IC 1147 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 488.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 488.5 million light-years (149.76 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 159,000 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.85 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.03 |
| Luminosity | 2.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 15h 50m 11.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +69° 33′ 36″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.03. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 20° S. North of latitude 20° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in May, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 488 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 8,664.8 billion years.