Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 2543
IC 2543 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo Minor, 736.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo Minor |
| Distance | 736.1 million light-years (225.70 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 185,200 light-years · 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.24 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.53 |
| Luminosity | 3.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 08m 23.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +37° 50′ 30″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.53. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 52° S. North of latitude 52° 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 736 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 13,058.5 billion years.