Galaxy · Spiral
IC 5149
IC 5149 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Piscis Austrinus, 252.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Piscis Austrinus |
| Distance | 252.8 million light-years (77.51 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 87,800 light-years · 1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.95 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.50 |
| Luminosity | 1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 21h 58m 59.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −27° 24′ 50″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.50. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 63° N. South of latitude 63° 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 253 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 4,484.6 billion years.