Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 4255
IC 4255 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hydra, 475.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hydra |
| Distance | 475.0 million light-years (145.64 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 189,400 light-years · 2.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.12 |
| Luminosity | 5.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 28m 00.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −27° 21′ 15″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.12. 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 475 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 8,426.4 billion years.