Galaxy · Elliptical
IC 1659
IC 1659 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pisces, 321.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Distance | 321.2 million light-years (98.47 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 115,700 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.66 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.31 |
| Luminosity | 2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 16m 06.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +30° 20′ 57″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.31. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 60° S. North of latitude 60° 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 321 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 5,697.3 billion years.