Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 1443
IC 1443 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Aquarius, 233.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Aquarius |
| Distance | 233.8 million light-years (71.67 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 99,900 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.65 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.63 |
| Luminosity | 2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 22h 19m 03.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | −20° 56′ 24″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.63. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 69° N. South of latitude 69° S it never sets. 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 234 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 4,146.7 billion years.