Galaxy · Elliptical
IC 1550
IC 1550 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 275.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 275.3 million light-years (84.40 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 83,400 light-years · 0.95 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.53 |
| Luminosity | 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 24m 27.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +38° 11′ 09″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.53. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 52° S. North of latitude 52° 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 275 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 4,883.2 billion years.