Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 1987 NED02
IC 1987 NED02 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Reticulum, 648.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Reticulum |
| Distance | 648.6 million light-years (198.86 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 159,000 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.18 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.31 |
| Luminosity | 3.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 40m 11.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −55° 03′ 33″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.31. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 35° N. South of latitude 35° 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 649 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 11,505.6 billion years.