Galaxy · Spiral
IC 4618
IC 4618 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Apus, 139.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Apus |
| Distance | 139.0 million light-years (42.63 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 121,300 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.40 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.75 |
| Luminosity | 0.63 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 57m 50.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −76° 59′ 35″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.75. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 13° N. South of latitude 13° S it never sets.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 139 million years ago. At that time dinosaurs ruled the Earth. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 2,466.5 billion years.