Galaxy · Spiral
IC 1630
IC 1630 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Phoenix, 318.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Phoenix |
| Distance | 318.7 million light-years (97.71 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 120,800 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.60 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.35 |
| Luminosity | 0.76 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 08m 16.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −46° 45′ 14″ |
| 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 43° N. South of latitude 43° 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 319 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 5,653.3 billion years.