Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 162
IC 162 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pisces, 240.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Distance | 240.4 million light-years (73.71 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 132,300 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.99 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.35 |
| Luminosity | 2.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 48m 53.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +10° 31′ 18″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.35. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 79° S. North of latitude 79° N 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 240 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 4,264.7 billion years.