Galaxy · Spiral
IC 498
IC 498 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canis Minor, 472.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canis Minor |
| Distance | 472.6 million light-years (144.90 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 211,900 light-years · 2.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.16 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.65 |
| Luminosity | 3.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 8h 09m 30.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +5° 16′ 51″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.65. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 85° S. It stands highest at midnight in January, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 473 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 8,383.6 billion years.