Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 458
IC 458 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lynx, 302.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lynx |
| Distance | 302.9 million light-years (92.86 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 123,500 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.68 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.16 |
| Luminosity | 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 10m 34.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +50° 07′ 08″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.16. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 40° S. North of latitude 40° 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 303 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 5,372.7 billion years.