Galaxy · Elliptical
IC 409 NED01
IC 409 NED01 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Orion, 395.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Orion |
| Distance | 395.5 million light-years (121.27 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 156,200 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.25 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.17 |
| Luminosity | 3.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 5h 19m 33.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +3° 19′ 04″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.17. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 87° S. 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 396 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 7,016.4 billion years.