Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 1873
IC 1873 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 426.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 426.5 million light-years (130.76 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 213,600 light-years · 2.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.61 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.97 |
| Luminosity | 4.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 03m 52.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +9° 36′ 48″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.97. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 80° 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 426 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 7,565.5 billion years.