Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 129
IC 129 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 246.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 246.3 million light-years (75.51 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 76,200 light-years · 0.87 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.66 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.73 |
| Luminosity | 0.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 31m 31.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −12° 39′ 15″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.73. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 77° N. South of latitude 77° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in October, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 246 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 4,368.9 billion years.