Galaxy · Spiral
IC 1255
IC 1255 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ophiuchus, 425.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ophiuchus |
| Distance | 425.8 million light-years (130.54 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 159,900 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.45 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.13 |
| Luminosity | 4.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 23m 05.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +12° 41′ 43″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.13. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 77° S. North of latitude 77° N it never sets. 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 426 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 7,552.8 billion years.