Galaxy · Elliptical
IC 1802
IC 1802 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Aries, 446.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Aries |
| Distance | 446.5 million light-years (136.90 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 192,500 light-years · 2.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.79 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.89 |
| Luminosity | 5.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 29m 14.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +23° 04′ 58″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.89. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 67° S. North of latitude 67° 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 447 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 7,920.8 billion years.