Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 78
IC 78 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 548.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 548.2 million light-years (168.09 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 240,200 light-years · 2.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.95 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.18 |
| Luminosity | 6.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 08m 47.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | −15° 50′ 43″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.18. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 74° N. South of latitude 74° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in October, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 548 million years ago. At that time the Earth held only single-celled organisms and the first multicellular life. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 9,725.3 billion years.