Galaxy · Spiral
IC 4530
IC 4530 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Boötes, 434.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Boötes |
| Distance | 434.0 million light-years (133.07 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 193,700 light-years · 2.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.86 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.76 |
| Luminosity | 2.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 15h 03m 45.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +26° 06′ 03″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.76. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 64° S. North of latitude 64° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in May, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 434 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 7,699.2 billion years.