Galaxy · Spiral
IC 358
IC 358 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Taurus, 315.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Taurus |
| Distance | 315.4 million light-years (96.71 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 142,400 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.08 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.85 |
| Luminosity | 3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 03m 42.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +19° 53′ 42″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.85. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 70° S. North of latitude 70° 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 315 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 5,595.4 billion years.