Galaxy · Spiral
IC 2497
IC 2497 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo Minor, 701.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo Minor |
| Distance | 701.5 million light-years (215.09 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 169,700 light-years · 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.36 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.30 |
| Luminosity | 3.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 9h 41m 04.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +34° 43′ 58″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.30. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 55° S. North of latitude 55° 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 702 million years ago. At that time the Earth held only single-celled organisms and the first multicellular life. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 12,444.7 billion years.