Galaxy · Spiral
IC 1918
IC 1918 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Taurus, 432.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Taurus |
| Distance | 432.5 million light-years (132.59 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 121,200 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.41 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.20 |
| Luminosity | 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 26m 17.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +4° 32′ 28″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.20. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 85° 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 432 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 7,671.4 billion years.