Galaxy · Elliptical
IC 868
IC 868 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 310.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 310.5 million light-years (95.19 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 96,900 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.98 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.91 |
| Luminosity | 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 17m 28.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +20° 36′ 44″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.91. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 69° S. North of latitude 69° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in April, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 310 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 5,507.5 billion years.