Galaxy · Spiral
IC 2423
IC 2423 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cancer, 424.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cancer |
| Distance | 424.0 million light-years (130.00 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 143,200 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.81 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.76 |
| Luminosity | 2.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 8h 54m 47.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +20° 13′ 13″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.76. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 70° S. North of latitude 70° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in February, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 424 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 7,521.5 billion years.