Galaxy · Spiral
IC 4870
IC 4870 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pavo, 23.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pavo |
| Distance | 23.8 million light-years (7.30 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 13,100 light-years · 0.15 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −15.90 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.42 |
| Luminosity | 0.01 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 19h 37m 37.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −65° 48′ 43″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.42. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 24° N. South of latitude 24° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in July, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 24 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 422.4 billion years.