Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 238
IC 238 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Aries, 279.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Aries |
| Distance | 279.9 million light-years (85.83 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 157,300 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.08 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.59 |
| Luminosity | 3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 35m 22.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +12° 50′ 16″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.59. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 77° S. North of latitude 77° 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 280 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 4,965.9 billion years.