Galaxy · Barred spiral
IC 1954
IC 1954 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Horologium, 49.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Horologium |
| Distance | 49.6 million light-years (15.20 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 46,000 light-years · 0.53 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.27 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.64 |
| Luminosity | 0.22 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 31m 31.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −51° 54′ 17″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.64. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 38° N. South of latitude 38° 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 50 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 879.4 billion years.