Galaxy · Spiral
IC 870
IC 870 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 305.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 305.6 million light-years (93.71 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 92,000 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.83 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.03 |
| Luminosity | 0.94 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 17m 30.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +20° 36′ 00″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.03. 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 306 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 5,421.9 billion years.