Galaxy · Elliptical
IC 2738
IC 2738 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 489.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 489.4 million light-years (150.06 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 161,500 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.90 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.98 |
| Luminosity | 2.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 21m 23.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +34° 21′ 24″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.98. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 56° S. North of latitude 56° 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 489 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 8,682.2 billion years.