IC 1613 · galaxy

IC 1613

IC 1613 is an irregular dwarf galaxy located on the outskirts of the Local group around 730 kiloparsecs from Earth in the constellation of Cetus near the star 26 Ceti.

RA01h 04m 47sDec+02° 07' 03"

Image: ESO.

Identity & coordinates

Identification

Primary designation: IC 1613
All designations: IC 1613
Object type: Galaxy
Constellation: Cetus
Best viewing: Autumn · Winter

Coordinates & physical

Right ascension (J2000): 01h 04m 47s
Declination (J2000): +02° 07' 03"
Apparent magnitude (V): —
Distance: —
Redshift (z): -0.000781

III

Visibility tonight

The science

IC 1613 is an irregular dwarf galaxy located on the outskirts of the Local group around 730 kiloparsecs from Earth in the constellation of Cetus near the star 26 Ceti. It has a low mass with its mass only being around 10^8 solar masses. It has played an important role in the calibration of the Cepheid variable period-luminosity relation for estimating distances. Other than the Magellanic Clouds, it is one of the few Local Group dwarf irregular galaxy where RR Lyrae-type variables have been observed; this factor, along with an unusually low abundance of interstellar dust both within IC 1613 and along the line of sight enable especially accurate distance estimates. IC 1613 was discovered in 1906 by Max Wolf, and is approaching Earth at 234 km/s.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia · CC-BY-SA-4.0