Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 4647
IC 4647 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Apus, 231.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Apus |
| Distance | 231.9 million light-years (71.10 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 89,500 light-years · 1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.06 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.20 |
| Luminosity | 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 26m 03.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | −80° 11′ 42″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.20. 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 232 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 4,113.7 billion years.