Galaxy · Spiral
IC 3247
IC 3247 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 79.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 79.6 million light-years (24.40 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 51,700 light-years · 0.59 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.90 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.04 |
| Luminosity | 0.063 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 23m 14.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +28° 53′ 38″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.04. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 61° S. North of latitude 61° 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 80 million years ago. At that time dinosaurs ruled the Earth. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 1,411.7 billion years.