Galaxy · Spiral
IC 4630
IC 4630 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 483.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 483.5 million light-years (148.23 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 128,800 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.17 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.68 |
| Luminosity | 3.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 55m 09.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +26° 39′ 46″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.68. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 63° S. North of latitude 63° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in June, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 483 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 8,576.3 billion years.