Galaxy · Spiral
IC 559
IC 559 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo, 30.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo |
| Distance | 30.7 million light-years (9.40 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 11,900 light-years · 0.14 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −15.60 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.27 |
| Luminosity | 0.0076 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 9h 44m 43.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +9° 36′ 55″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.27. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 80° S. It stands highest at midnight in February, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 31 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 543.9 billion years.