Galaxy · Spiral
IC 2147
IC 2147 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Columba, 61.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Columba |
| Distance | 61.0 million light-years (18.69 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 47,400 light-years · 0.54 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.66 |
| Luminosity | 0.052 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 5h 43m 28.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −30° 29′ 42″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.66. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 60° N. South of latitude 60° S it never sets. 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 61 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 1,081.4 billion years.