Galaxy · Spiral
IC 1188A
IC 1188A is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 498.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 498.5 million light-years (152.84 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 163,400 light-years · 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.55 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.37 |
| Luminosity | 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 06m 07.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +17° 27′ 39″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.37. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 73° S. North of latitude 73° 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 499 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 8,843.0 billion years.