Galaxy · Spiral
IC 2010
IC 2010 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Reticulum, 247.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Reticulum |
| Distance | 247.0 million light-years (75.73 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 86,400 light-years · 0.99 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.65 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.75 |
| Luminosity | 0.79 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 51m 58.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −59° 55′ 46″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.75. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 30° N. South of latitude 30° 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 247 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 4,381.6 billion years.