Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 5241
IC 5241 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Aquarius, 377.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Aquarius |
| Distance | 377.8 million light-years (115.83 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 135,500 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.04 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.28 |
| Luminosity | 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 22h 41m 38.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +2° 38′ 21″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.28. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 87° S. 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 378 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 6,701.7 billion years.