Galaxy · Irregular
IC 3840
IC 3840 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 17.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 17.9 million light-years (5.50 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 5,023 light-years · 0.057 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −12.60 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 16.10 |
| Luminosity | 4.8 × 10⁻⁴ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 51m 46.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +21° 44′ 07″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 16.10. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 68° S. North of latitude 68° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in April, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 18 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 318.2 billion years.