Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 801
IC 801 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 307.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 307.8 million light-years (94.37 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 105,900 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.58 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.29 |
| Luminosity | 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 33m 45.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +52° 15′ 17″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.29. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 38° S. North of latitude 38° 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 308 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 5,460.1 billion years.