Galaxy · Spiral
IC 5253
IC 5253 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pegasus, 329.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pegasus |
| Distance | 329.2 million light-years (100.94 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 81,900 light-years · 0.94 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.51 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.51 |
| Luminosity | 0.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 22h 45m 29.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +21° 48′ 29″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.51. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 68° S. North of latitude 68° 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 329 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 5,840.2 billion years.