Galaxy · Spiral
IC 1617
IC 1617 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Phoenix, 355.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Phoenix |
| Distance | 355.4 million light-years (108.96 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 154,300 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.76 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.43 |
| Luminosity | 2.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 04m 16.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −51° 01′ 58″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.43. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 39° N. South of latitude 39° 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 355 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 6,304.2 billion years.