Galaxy · Irregular
IC 4316
IC 4316 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hydra, 14.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hydra |
| Distance | 14.4 million light-years (4.41 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 8,872 light-years · 0.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −14.50 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.72 |
| Luminosity | 0.0028 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 40m 18.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −28° 53′ 40″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.72. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 61° N. South of latitude 61° 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 14 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 255.2 billion years.