Galaxy · Barred spiral
IC 4660
IC 4660 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Minor, 57.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Minor |
| Distance | 57.9 million light-years (17.76 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 32,500 light-years · 0.37 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.03 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.22 |
| Luminosity | 0.028 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 21m 45.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +75° 50′ 55″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.22. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 14° S. North of latitude 14° N it never sets.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 58 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 1,027.6 billion years.