Galaxy · Barred spiral
IC 4957
IC 4957 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Telescopium, 458.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Telescopium |
| Distance | 458.2 million light-years (140.49 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 150,900 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.80 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.94 |
| Luminosity | 2.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 20h 09m 35.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −55° 42′ 33″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.94. 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 458 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 8,128.5 billion years.