Galaxy · Spiral
IC 4908
IC 4908 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Telescopium, 249.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Telescopium |
| Distance | 249.3 million light-years (76.43 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 68,300 light-years · 0.78 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.46 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.96 |
| Luminosity | 0.67 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 19h 56m 56.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | −55° 47′ 30″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.96. 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 July, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 249 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 4,422.1 billion years.