Galaxy · Spiral
IC 4709
IC 4709 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Telescopium, 236.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Telescopium |
| Distance | 236.1 million light-years (72.40 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 103,500 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.00 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.30 |
| Luminosity | 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 24m 19.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −56° 22′ 09″ |
| 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 Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 34° N. South of latitude 34° S 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 236 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 4,188.9 billion years.