Galaxy · Spiral
IC 997
IC 997 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 322.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 322.9 million light-years (99.00 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 146,100 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.54 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.44 |
| Luminosity | 4.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 19m 59.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −4° 27′ 04″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.44. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 86° N. 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 323 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 5,727.9 billion years.