Galaxy · Elliptical
IC 256
IC 256 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Perseus, 407.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Perseus |
| Distance | 407.9 million light-years (125.06 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 100,300 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.23 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.26 |
| Luminosity | 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 49m 40.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +46° 57′ 16″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.26. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 43° S. North of latitude 43° N 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 408 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 7,235.7 billion years.