Galaxy · Elliptical
IC 3557 NED01
IC 3557 NED01 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 1.10 billion light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 1.10 billion light-years (337.91 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 516,200 light-years · 5.9 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −23.40 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.24 |
| Luminosity | 10 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 36m 08.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +16° 38′ 29″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.24. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 73° S. North of latitude 73° 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 1.1 billion years ago. At that time the Earth held only single-celled organisms and the first multicellular life. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 19,550.8 billion years.