Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 262
IC 262 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Perseus, 250.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Perseus |
| Distance | 250.9 million light-years (76.93 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 132,700 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.44 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.99 |
| Luminosity | 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 51m 43.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +42° 49′ 42″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.99. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 47° S. North of latitude 47° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in November, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 251 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 4,451.0 billion years.