Galaxy · Spiral
IC 1221
IC 1221 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 253.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 253.4 million light-years (77.70 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 115,700 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.57 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.88 |
| Luminosity | 0.74 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 34m 41.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +46° 23′ 32″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.88. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 44° S. North of latitude 44° 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 253 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 4,495.6 billion years.