Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 450
IC 450 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Camelopardalis, 262.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Camelopardalis |
| Distance | 262.8 million light-years (80.57 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 103,300 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.92 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.61 |
| Luminosity | 2.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 6h 52m 12.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +74° 25′ 37″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.61. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 16° S. North of latitude 16° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in January, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 263 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 4,661.6 billion years.