Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 603
IC 603 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sextans, 251.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sextans |
| Distance | 251.6 million light-years (77.14 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 101,000 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.92 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.52 |
| Luminosity | 1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 19m 25.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −5° 39′ 22″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.52. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 84° N. 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 252 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 4,463.2 billion years.