Galaxy · Spiral
IC 2017
IC 2017 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Reticulum, 257.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Reticulum |
| Distance | 257.0 million light-years (78.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 95,600 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.90 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.58 |
| Luminosity | 1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 56m 39.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −59° 23′ 41″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.58. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 31° N. South of latitude 31° 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 257 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 4,559.2 billion years.