Galaxy · Elliptical
IC 626
IC 626 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sextans, 393.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sextans |
| Distance | 393.4 million light-years (120.63 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 176,800 light-years · 2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.11 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.30 |
| Luminosity | 3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 36m 57.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −7° 01′ 26″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.30. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 83° 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 393 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 6,979.4 billion years.