Galaxy · Barred spiral
IC 1946
IC 1946 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Horologium, 541.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Horologium |
| Distance | 541.6 million light-years (166.04 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 210,500 light-years · 2.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.21 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.89 |
| Luminosity | 3.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 29m 22.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −52° 37′ 09″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.89. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 37° N. South of latitude 37° S 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 542 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 9,606.7 billion years.