Galaxy · Spiral
IC 1616
IC 1616 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sculptor, 262.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sculptor |
| Distance | 262.6 million light-years (80.50 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 139,600 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.77 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.76 |
| Luminosity | 2.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 04m 56.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −27° 25′ 45″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.76. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 63° N. South of latitude 63° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in October, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 263 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 4,657.6 billion years.