Galaxy · Barred spiral
IC 1398
IC 1398 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pegasus, 495.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pegasus |
| Distance | 495.0 million light-years (151.77 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 122,500 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.71 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.20 |
| Luminosity | 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 21h 45m 51.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +9° 28′ 31″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.20. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 81° S. 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 495 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 8,781.1 billion years.