Galaxy · Elliptical
IC 1548
IC 1548 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 267.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 267.7 million light-years (82.09 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 86,600 light-years · 0.99 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.34 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.23 |
| Luminosity | 0.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 21m 55.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +22° 00′ 23″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.23. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 68° S. North of latitude 68° N it never sets. 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 268 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 4,749.6 billion years.