Galaxy · Spiral
IC 1959
IC 1959 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Horologium, 19.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Horologium |
| Distance | 19.7 million light-years (6.05 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 22,300 light-years · 0.26 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −16.60 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.31 |
| Luminosity | 0.019 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 33m 11.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −50° 24′ 38″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.31. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 40° N. South of latitude 40° 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 20 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 350.0 billion years.