Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 3238
IC 3238 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 593.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 593.8 million light-years (182.06 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 173,900 light-years · 2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.12 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.18 |
| Luminosity | 3.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 23m 06.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +14° 27′ 30″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.18. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 76° S. North of latitude 76° 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 594 million years ago. At that time the Earth held only single-celled organisms and the first multicellular life. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 10,533.6 billion years.