Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 3499
IC 3499 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 52.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 52.9 million light-years (16.23 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 25,500 light-years · 0.29 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.51 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.54 |
| Luminosity | 0.044 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 33m 45.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +10° 59′ 45″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.54. 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 53 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 939.0 billion years.