Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 1857
IC 1857 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Aries, 420.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Aries |
| Distance | 420.1 million light-years (128.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 133,900 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.25 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.30 |
| Luminosity | 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 49m 38.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +14° 37′ 11″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.30. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 75° S. North of latitude 75° 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 420 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 7,452.1 billion years.