Galaxy · Elliptical
IC 226
IC 226 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Triangulum, 507.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Triangulum |
| Distance | 507.6 million light-years (155.63 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 226,000 light-years · 2.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.60 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.36 |
| Luminosity | 4.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 27m 45.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +28° 12′ 33″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.36. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 62° S. North of latitude 62° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in October, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 508 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 9,004.4 billion years.