Galaxy · Spiral
IC 609
IC 609 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sextans, 258.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sextans |
| Distance | 258.0 million light-years (79.11 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 146,300 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.27 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.22 |
| Luminosity | 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 25m 35.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −2° 12′ 55″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.22. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 88° 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 258 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 4,577.1 billion years.