Galaxy · Spiral
IC 900
IC 900 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 329.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 329.4 million light-years (100.99 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 176,700 light-years · 2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.71 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.31 |
| Luminosity | 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 34m 43.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +9° 20′ 12″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.31. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 81° S. 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 329 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 5,843.1 billion years.