Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 1869
IC 1869 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 342.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 342.4 million light-years (104.97 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 113,200 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.17 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.94 |
| Luminosity | 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 58m 11.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +5° 50′ 12″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.94. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 84° S. 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 342 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 6,073.3 billion years.