Galaxy · Spiral
IC 2171
IC 2171 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canis Major, 32.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canis Major |
| Distance | 32.3 million light-years (9.90 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 24,800 light-years · 0.28 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.30 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.68 |
| Luminosity | 0.036 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 6h 44m 27.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −17° 55′ 57″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.68. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 72° N. South of latitude 72° 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 32 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 572.8 billion years.