Galaxy · Spiral
IC 5201
IC 5201 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Grus, 28.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Grus |
| Distance | 28.7 million light-years (8.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 71,300 light-years · 0.82 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.40 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.32 |
| Luminosity | 0.25 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 22h 20m 57.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −46° 02′ 03″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.32. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 44° N. South of latitude 44° 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 29 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 509.1 billion years.