Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 461
IC 461 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lynx, 267.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lynx |
| Distance | 267.8 million light-years (82.10 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 75,900 light-years · 0.87 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.18 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.39 |
| Luminosity | 0.52 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 10m 45.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +50° 04′ 53″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.39. 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 268 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 4,750.1 billion years.