Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 1397
IC 1397 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Aquarius, 344.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Aquarius |
| Distance | 344.3 million light-years (105.57 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 107,300 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.02 |
| Luminosity | 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 21h 44m 02.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −4° 53′ 05″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.02. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 85° N. It stands highest at midnight in August, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 344 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 6,108.1 billion years.