Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 186A
IC 186A is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 597.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 597.7 million light-years (183.26 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 236,700 light-years · 2.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.71 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.61 |
| Luminosity | 5.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 00m 24.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −1° 33′ 10″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.61. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 88° N. 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 598 million years ago. At that time the Earth held only single-celled organisms and the first multicellular life. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 10,603.0 billion years.