Galaxy · Irregular
IC 634
IC 634 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sextans, 385.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sextans |
| Distance | 385.7 million light-years (118.26 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 159,900 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.32 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.04 |
| Luminosity | 3.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 40m 54.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +5° 59′ 30″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.04. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 84° 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 386 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 6,842.3 billion years.