Galaxy · Spiral
IC 2889
IC 2889 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Crater, 292.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Crater |
| Distance | 292.6 million light-years (89.70 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 130,600 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.89 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.87 |
| Luminosity | 0.99 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 30m 29.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −13° 05′ 28″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.87. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 77° N. South of latitude 77° S 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 293 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 5,189.9 billion years.