Galaxy · Spiral
IC 4640
IC 4640 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Apus, 225.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Apus |
| Distance | 225.7 million light-years (69.21 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 59,600 light-years · 0.68 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.93 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.27 |
| Luminosity | 0.41 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 23m 58.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −80° 03′ 51″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.27. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 10° N. South of latitude 10° S it never sets.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 226 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 4,004.3 billion years.