Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 5122
IC 5122 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Capricornus, 476.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Capricornus |
| Distance | 476.0 million light-years (145.94 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 105,200 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.15 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.67 |
| Luminosity | 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 21h 39m 45.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | −22° 24′ 23″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.67. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 68° N. South of latitude 68° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in August, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 476 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 8,443.8 billion years.