Galaxy · Spiral
IC 1242
IC 1242 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ophiuchus, 314.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ophiuchus |
| Distance | 314.4 million light-years (96.40 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 99,300 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.86 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.06 |
| Luminosity | 0.96 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 08m 42.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +4° 02′ 59″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.06. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 86° S. It stands highest at midnight in June, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 314 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 5,577.5 billion years.