Galaxy · Spiral
IC 954
IC 954 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Minor, 478.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Minor |
| Distance | 478.8 million light-years (146.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 143,100 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.21 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.62 |
| Luminosity | 3.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 49m 56.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +71° 09′ 53″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.62. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 19° S. North of latitude 19° 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 479 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 8,493.5 billion years.