Galaxy · Spiral
IC 2974
IC 2974 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 267.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 267.5 million light-years (82.03 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 194,500 light-years · 2.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.90 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.67 |
| Luminosity | 2.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 53m 48.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | −5° 10′ 04″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.67. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 85° N. 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 268 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 4,746.1 billion years.