Galaxy · Spiral
IC 1552
IC 1552 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pisces, 260.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Distance | 260.9 million light-years (80.00 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 107,900 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.72 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.80 |
| Luminosity | 0.85 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 29m 43.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +21° 28′ 36″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.80. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 69° S. North of latitude 69° 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 261 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 4,628.6 billion years.