Galaxy · Spiral
IC 270
IC 270 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Eridanus, 407.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Eridanus |
| Distance | 407.5 million light-years (124.93 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 243,600 light-years · 2.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −23.39 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.09 |
| Luminosity | 9.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 55m 44.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −14° 12′ 28″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.09. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 76° N. South of latitude 76° S 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 407 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 7,228.2 billion years.