Galaxy · Elliptical
IC 1220
IC 1220 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 460.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 460.6 million light-years (141.21 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 164,800 light-years · 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.54 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.21 |
| Luminosity | 4.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 29m 38.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +8° 27′ 03″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.21. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 82° S. 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 461 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 8,170.1 billion years.