Galaxy · Spiral
IC 2079
IC 2079 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Dorado, 501.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Dorado |
| Distance | 501.0 million light-years (153.60 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 174,000 light-years · 2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.16 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.77 |
| Luminosity | 3.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 28m 30.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −53° 44′ 16″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.77. 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 501 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 8,887.0 billion years.