Galaxy · Spiral
IC 1503
IC 1503 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pisces, 286.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Distance | 286.1 million light-years (87.73 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 99,300 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.50 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.22 |
| Luminosity | 0.69 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 23h 38m 27.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +4° 48′ 05″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.22. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 85° S. It stands highest at midnight in September, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 286 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 5,075.9 billion years.