Galaxy · Barred spiral
IC 2434
IC 2434 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lynx, 334.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lynx |
| Distance | 334.5 million light-years (102.57 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 129,700 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.93 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.13 |
| Luminosity | 2.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 9h 07m 16.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +37° 12′ 55″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.13. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 53° S. North of latitude 53° 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 335 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 5,934.5 billion years.