Galaxy · Spiral
IC 121
IC 121 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 424.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 424.1 million light-years (130.03 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 154,200 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.47 |
| Luminosity | 3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 28m 21.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +2° 30′ 47″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.47. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 87° 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 424 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 7,523.3 billion years.