Galaxy · Spiral
IC 304
IC 304 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Perseus, 230.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Perseus |
| Distance | 230.1 million light-years (70.54 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 86,400 light-years · 0.99 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.11 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.13 |
| Luminosity | 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 15m 01.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +37° 52′ 54″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.13. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 52° S. North of latitude 52° N 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 230 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 4,081.3 billion years.