Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 246
IC 246 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 309.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 309.8 million light-years (94.97 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 112,900 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.01 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.88 |
| Luminosity | 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 40m 28.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +2° 28′ 43″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.88. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 88° S. 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 310 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 5,494.8 billion years.