Galaxy · Spiral
IC 4552
IC 4552 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Serpens, 318.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Serpens |
| Distance | 318.7 million light-years (97.71 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 132,200 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.56 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.39 |
| Luminosity | 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 15h 38m 54.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +4° 34′ 59″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.39. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 85° S. 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 319 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 5,653.3 billion years.