Galaxy · Spiral
IC 1720
IC 1720 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sculptor, 264.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sculptor |
| Distance | 264.8 million light-years (81.20 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 99,000 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.55 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.00 |
| Luminosity | 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 40m 21.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −28° 54′ 46″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.00. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 61° N. South of latitude 61° 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 265 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 4,698.1 billion years.