Galaxy · Elliptical
IC 4691
IC 4691 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ophiuchus, 291.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ophiuchus |
| Distance | 291.2 million light-years (89.27 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 117,700 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.45 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.30 |
| Luminosity | 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 08m 45.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +11° 49′ 45″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.30. 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 291 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 5,165.0 billion years.