Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 2112
IC 2112 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Orion, 499.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Orion |
| Distance | 499.0 million light-years (152.99 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 155,500 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.64 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.28 |
| Luminosity | 2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 5h 00m 30.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +4° 23′ 11″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.28. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 86° S. It stands highest at midnight in December, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 499 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 8,851.7 billion years.