Galaxy · Spiral
IC 2085
IC 2085 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Dorado, 45.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Dorado |
| Distance | 45.8 million light-years (14.03 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 26,200 light-years · 0.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.44 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.30 |
| Luminosity | 0.041 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 31m 24.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −54° 25′ 00″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.30. 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 46 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 811.7 billion years.