Galaxy · Spiral
IC 1627
IC 1627 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Phoenix, 285.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Phoenix |
| Distance | 285.8 million light-years (87.63 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 236,400 light-years · 2.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.19 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.52 |
| Luminosity | 3.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 08m 10.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −46° 05′ 39″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.52. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 44° N. South of latitude 44° 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 286 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 5,070.1 billion years.