Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 4864
IC 4864 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Octans, 282.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Octans |
| Distance | 282.9 million light-years (86.74 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 182,100 light-years · 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.89 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.80 |
| Luminosity | 2.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 19h 40m 06.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −77° 33′ 30″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.80. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 12° N. South of latitude 12° S it never sets.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 283 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 5,018.6 billion years.