Galaxy · Spiral
IC 342
IC 342 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Camelopardalis, 10.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Camelopardalis |
| Distance | 10.7 million light-years (3.28 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 111,700 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.30 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 6.28 |
| Luminosity | 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 46m 48.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +68° 05′ 45″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
Visible to the naked eye under a dark sky (apparent magnitude 6.28). Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 22° S. North of latitude 22° 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 11 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 189.8 billion years.