Galaxy · Spiral
IC 5231
IC 5231 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pegasus, 348.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pegasus |
| Distance | 348.2 million light-years (106.76 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 113,400 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.66 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.48 |
| Luminosity | 2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 22h 34m 00.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +23° 20′ 19″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.48. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 67° S. North of latitude 67° 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 348 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 6,176.9 billion years.