Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 218
IC 218 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 302.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 302.2 million light-years (92.64 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 109,900 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.37 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.46 |
| Luminosity | 0.61 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 17m 07.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +1° 16′ 57″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.46. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 89° S. It stands highest at midnight in October, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 302 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 5,360.0 billion years.