Galaxy · Spiral
IC 2180
IC 2180 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Gemini, 246.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Gemini |
| Distance | 246.9 million light-years (75.69 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 92,000 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.24 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.16 |
| Luminosity | 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 11m 19.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +26° 22′ 17″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.16. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 64° S. North of latitude 64° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in January, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 247 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 4,379.3 billion years.