Galaxy · Elliptical
IC 2231
IC 2231 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canis Minor, 424.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canis Minor |
| Distance | 424.6 million light-years (130.19 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 238,000 light-years · 2.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −23.00 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.57 |
| Luminosity | 6.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 8h 11m 01.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +5° 05′ 14″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.57. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 85° S. 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 425 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 7,532.5 billion years.