Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 1648
IC 1648 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pisces, 257.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Distance | 257.4 million light-years (78.91 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 59,900 light-years · 0.69 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.23 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.26 |
| Luminosity | 0.54 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 13m 42.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +33° 13′ 06″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.26. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 57° S. North of latitude 57° 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 257 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 4,565.6 billion years.