Galaxy · Spiral
IC 1222
IC 1222 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 429.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 429.8 million light-years (131.77 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 272,800 light-years · 3.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.00 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.60 |
| Luminosity | 2.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 35m 09.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +46° 12′ 50″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.60. 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 430 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 7,623.9 billion years.