Galaxy · Spiral
IC 2308
IC 2308 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cancer, 267.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cancer |
| Distance | 267.5 million light-years (82.01 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 68,600 light-years · 0.78 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.01 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.56 |
| Luminosity | 0.44 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 8h 20m 45.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +19° 21′ 44″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.56. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 71° S. North of latitude 71° 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 267 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 4,744.9 billion years.