Galaxy · Spiral
IC 451
IC 451 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Camelopardalis, 238.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Camelopardalis |
| Distance | 238.7 million light-years (73.19 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 107,500 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.42 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.90 |
| Luminosity | 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 6h 52m 52.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +74° 28′ 51″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.90. 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 239 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 4,234.6 billion years.