Galaxy · Spiral
IC 442
IC 442 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Camelopardalis, 198.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Camelopardalis |
| Distance | 198.7 million light-years (60.91 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 85,800 light-years · 0.98 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.46 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.46 |
| Luminosity | 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 6h 36m 12.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +82° 58′ 09″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.46. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 7° S. North of latitude 7° N it never sets.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 199 million years ago. At that time dinosaurs ruled the Earth. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 3,524.1 billion years.