Galaxy · Spiral
IC 3644
IC 3644 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 309.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 309.0 million light-years (94.74 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 110,300 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.41 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.47 |
| Luminosity | 0.64 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 40m 36.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +26° 30′ 20″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.47. 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 309 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 5,481.5 billion years.