Galaxy · Irregular
IC 2218
IC 2218 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cancer, 603.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cancer |
| Distance | 603.8 million light-years (185.11 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 195,200 light-years · 2.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.64 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.70 |
| Luminosity | 5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 8h 01m 38.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +24° 25′ 56″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.70. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 66° S. North of latitude 66° 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 604 million years ago. At that time the Earth held only single-celled organisms and the first multicellular life. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 10,710.1 billion years.