Galaxy · Spiral
IC 4688
IC 4688 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ophiuchus, 280.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ophiuchus |
| Distance | 280.8 million light-years (86.10 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 163,700 light-years · 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.58 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.10 |
| Luminosity | 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 08m 11.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +11° 42′ 44″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.10. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 78° S. North of latitude 78° 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 281 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 4,981.6 billion years.