Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 3413
IC 3413 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 55.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 55.3 million light-years (16.94 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 18,000 light-years · 0.21 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −16.81 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.33 |
| Luminosity | 0.023 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 29m 22.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +11° 26′ 02″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.33. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 79° S. North of latitude 79° 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 55 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 980.1 billion years.