Galaxy · Spiral
IC 459
IC 459 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lynx, 263.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lynx |
| Distance | 263.2 million light-years (80.69 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 72,400 light-years · 0.83 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.37 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.16 |
| Luminosity | 0.61 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 10m 38.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +50° 10′ 38″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.16. 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 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 4,668.6 billion years.