Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 2052
IC 2052 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Dorado, 526.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Dorado |
| Distance | 526.6 million light-years (161.46 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 184,100 light-years · 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.66 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.38 |
| Luminosity | 2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 14m 58.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −54° 20′ 10″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.38. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 36° N. South of latitude 36° 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 527 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 9,341.7 billion years.