Galaxy · Spiral
IC 2551
IC 2551 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo, 295.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo |
| Distance | 295.9 million light-years (90.73 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 90,100 light-years · 1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.16 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.63 |
| Luminosity | 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 10m 40.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +24° 24′ 51″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.63. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 66° S. North of latitude 66° 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 296 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 5,249.5 billion years.