Galaxy · Elliptical
IC 4252
IC 4252 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hydra, 634.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hydra |
| Distance | 634.3 million light-years (194.46 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 315,400 light-years · 3.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −23.39 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.05 |
| Luminosity | 9.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 27m 28.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −27° 19′ 29″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.05. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 63° N. South of latitude 63° 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 634 million years ago. At that time the Earth held only single-celled organisms and the first multicellular life. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 11,251.1 billion years.