Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 2056
IC 2056 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Reticulum, 52.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Reticulum |
| Distance | 52.8 million light-years (16.19 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 24,300 light-years · 0.28 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.80 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.25 |
| Luminosity | 0.14 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 16m 24.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −60° 12′ 24″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.25. 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 53 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 936.7 billion years.