Galaxy · Spiral
IC 4909
IC 4909 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Telescopium, 346.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Telescopium |
| Distance | 346.9 million light-years (106.37 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 109,600 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.09 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.04 |
| Luminosity | 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 19h 56m 45.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −50° 03′ 21″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.04. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 40° N. South of latitude 40° 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 347 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 6,154.3 billion years.