Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 259
IC 259 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Perseus, 255.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Perseus |
| Distance | 255.7 million light-years (78.41 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 73,200 light-years · 0.84 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.56 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.91 |
| Luminosity | 0.73 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 49m 40.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +41° 03′ 18″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.91. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 49° S. North of latitude 49° 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 256 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 4,536.6 billion years.