Galaxy · Spiral
IC 5331
IC 5331 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pegasus, 266.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pegasus |
| Distance | 266.8 million light-years (81.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 118,300 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.95 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.61 |
| Luminosity | 1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 23h 33m 24.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +21° 07′ 48″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.61. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 69° S. North of latitude 69° 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 267 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 4,732.8 billion years.