Galaxy · Barred spiral
IC 4398
IC 4398 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Boötes, 591.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Boötes |
| Distance | 591.3 million light-years (181.29 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 146,700 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.03 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.26 |
| Luminosity | 2.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 18m 03.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +28° 51′ 59″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.26. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 61° S. North of latitude 61° N 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 591 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 10,489.1 billion years.