Galaxy · Spiral
IC 396
IC 396 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Camelopardalis, 41.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Camelopardalis |
| Distance | 41.5 million light-years (12.71 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 30,100 light-years · 0.34 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.18 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.34 |
| Luminosity | 0.21 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 57m 59.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +68° 19′ 25″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.34. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 22° S. North of latitude 22° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in December, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 41 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 735.4 billion years.