Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 2188
IC 2188 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Gemini, 384.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Gemini |
| Distance | 384.1 million light-years (117.76 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 139,300 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.90 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.45 |
| Luminosity | 2.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 22m 43.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +21° 30′ 47″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.45. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 68° S. North of latitude 68° 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 384 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 6,813.4 billion years.