Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 253
IC 253 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 341.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 341.5 million light-years (104.69 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 105,400 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.54 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.56 |
| Luminosity | 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 42m 05.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | −15° 02′ 49″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.56. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 75° N. South of latitude 75° S 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 341 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 6,057.1 billion years.