Galaxy · Elliptical
IC 460
IC 460 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lynx, 294.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lynx |
| Distance | 294.0 million light-years (90.14 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 131,500 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.68 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.09 |
| Luminosity | 0.82 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 10m 44.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +50° 12′ 09″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.09. 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 294 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 5,215.3 billion years.