Galaxy · Irregular
IC 93
IC 93 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cetus, 278.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 278.5 million light-years (85.39 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 106,300 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.51 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.15 |
| Luminosity | 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 19m 02.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −17° 03′ 37″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.15. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 73° N. South of latitude 73° 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 279 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 4,940.5 billion years.