Galaxy · Spiral
IC 3454
IC 3454 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 326.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 326.6 million light-years (100.13 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 120,900 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.59 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.41 |
| Luminosity | 0.75 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 31m 38.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +27° 29′ 44″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.41. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 63° S. North of latitude 63° 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 327 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 5,793.3 billion years.