Galaxy · Barred spiral
IC 5372
IC 5372 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Andromeda, 481.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Distance | 481.4 million light-years (147.60 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 114,000 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.72 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.13 |
| Luminosity | 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 00m 16.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +32° 47′ 33″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.13. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 57° S. North of latitude 57° 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 481 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 8,539.8 billion years.