Galaxy · Elliptical
IC 2187
IC 2187 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Gemini, 383.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Gemini |
| Distance | 383.0 million light-years (117.43 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 125,600 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.72 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.63 |
| Luminosity | 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 22m 43.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +21° 29′ 00″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.63. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 69° S. North of latitude 69° 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 383 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 6,794.3 billion years.