Galaxy · Spiral
IC 722
IC 722 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 304.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 304.6 million light-years (93.40 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 93,000 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.74 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.11 |
| Luminosity | 0.86 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 42m 43.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +8° 58′ 27″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.11. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 81° S. It stands highest at midnight in March, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 305 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 5,403.9 billion years.