Galaxy · Spiral
IC 1231
IC 1231 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 244.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 244.8 million light-years (75.04 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 131,100 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.21 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.17 |
| Luminosity | 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 46m 59.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +58° 25′ 24″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.17. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 32° S. North of latitude 32° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in May, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 245 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 4,341.7 billion years.