Galaxy · Spiral
IC 5305
IC 5305 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pegasus, 488.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pegasus |
| Distance | 488.8 million light-years (149.87 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 133,900 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.02 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.86 |
| Luminosity | 2.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 23h 18m 06.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +10° 17′ 59″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.86. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 80° S. North of latitude 80° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in September, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 489 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 8,671.2 billion years.