Galaxy · Spiral
IC 2804
IC 2804 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo, 279.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo |
| Distance | 279.3 million light-years (85.63 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 88,800 light-years · 1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.35 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.31 |
| Luminosity | 0.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 24m 56.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +13° 13′ 31″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.31. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 77° S. North of latitude 77° 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 279 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 4,954.4 billion years.