Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 1623
NGC 1623 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Eridanus, 471.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Eridanus |
| Distance | 471.6 million light-years (144.59 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 152,100 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.53 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.27 |
| Luminosity | 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 35m 32.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −13° 33′ 23″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.27. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 76° N. South of latitude 76° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in November, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 472 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 8,365.7 billion years.