Galaxy · Spiral
IC 2181
IC 2181 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Gemini, 231.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Gemini |
| Distance | 231.5 million light-years (70.99 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 82,800 light-years · 0.95 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.53 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.73 |
| Luminosity | 0.71 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 13m 10.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +18° 59′ 46″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.73. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 71° S. North of latitude 71° 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 232 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 4,107.3 billion years.