Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 779
IC 779 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 54.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 54.4 million light-years (16.67 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 21,100 light-years · 0.24 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −16.60 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.51 |
| Luminosity | 0.019 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 19m 38.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +29° 52′ 59″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.51. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 60° S. North of latitude 60° N it never sets. 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 54 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 964.5 billion years.