Galaxy · Elliptical
IC 5180
IC 5180 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lacerta, 278.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lacerta |
| Distance | 278.8 million light-years (85.49 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 116,600 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.92 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.74 |
| Luminosity | 2.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 22h 11m 12.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +38° 55′ 38″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.74. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 51° S. North of latitude 51° N 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 279 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 4,946.3 billion years.