Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 4051
IC 4051 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 409.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 409.7 million light-years (125.61 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 134,600 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.74 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.76 |
| Luminosity | 2.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 00m 51.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +28° 02′ 34″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.76. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 62° S. North of latitude 62° 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 410 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 7,267.5 billion years.