Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 1861
IC 1861 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Aries, 312.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Aries |
| Distance | 312.3 million light-years (95.76 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 139,700 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.87 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.04 |
| Luminosity | 2.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 53m 07.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +25° 29′ 25″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.04. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 65° S. North of latitude 65° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in November, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 312 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 5,540.5 billion years.