Galaxy · Spiral
IC 4427
IC 4427 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Boötes, 421.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Boötes |
| Distance | 421.3 million light-years (129.16 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 106,200 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.17 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.39 |
| Luminosity | 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 26m 59.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +26° 51′ 50″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.39. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 63° S. North of latitude 63° 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 421 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 7,472.9 billion years.