Galaxy · Elliptical
IC 2601
IC 2601 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 467.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 467.9 million light-years (143.46 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 168,200 light-years · 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.11 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.67 |
| Luminosity | 3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 47m 13.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +72° 19′ 23″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.67. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 18° S. North of latitude 18° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in March, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 468 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 8,300.3 billion years.