Galaxy · Barred spiral
IC 2339
IC 2339 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cancer, 252.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cancer |
| Distance | 252.5 million light-years (77.43 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 86,700 light-years · 0.99 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.19 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.25 |
| Luminosity | 0.52 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 8h 23m 34.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +21° 20′ 52″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.25. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 69° S. North of latitude 69° 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 253 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 4,479.9 billion years.