Galaxy · Spiral
IC 4209
IC 4209 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 313.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 313.8 million light-years (96.21 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 161,500 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.32 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.60 |
| Luminosity | 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 10m 22.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −7° 10′ 15″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.60. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 83° N. 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 314 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 5,566.5 billion years.