Galaxy · Irregular
IC 4247
IC 4247 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Centaurus, 16.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Distance | 16.2 million light-years (4.97 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 8,024 light-years · 0.092 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −14.90 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.58 |
| Luminosity | 0.004 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 26m 44.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −30° 21′ 45″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.58. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 60° N. South of latitude 60° S 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 16 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 287.6 billion years.