Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 4374
IC 4374 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hydra, 304.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hydra |
| Distance | 304.5 million light-years (93.36 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 152,800 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.21 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.64 |
| Luminosity | 3.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 07m 29.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −27° 01′ 04″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.64. 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 305 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 5,401.6 billion years.