Galaxy · Spiral
IC 508
IC 508 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cancer, 100.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cancer |
| Distance | 100.7 million light-years (30.87 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 41,300 light-years · 0.47 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.21 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.24 |
| Luminosity | 0.084 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 8h 28m 22.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +25° 07′ 30″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.24. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 65° S. North of latitude 65° N it never sets. 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 101 million years ago. At that time dinosaurs ruled the Earth. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 1,786.1 billion years.