Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 1587
IC 1587 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 791.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 791.5 million light-years (242.67 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 250,600 light-years · 2.9 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.58 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.35 |
| Luminosity | 4.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 48m 43.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −23° 33′ 42″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.35. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 66° N. South of latitude 66° S 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 791 million years ago. At that time the Earth held only single-celled organisms and the first multicellular life. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 14,040.4 billion years.