Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 1264
IC 1264 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 462.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 462.2 million light-years (141.70 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 235,700 light-years · 2.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.60 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.16 |
| Luminosity | 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 33m 16.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +43° 37′ 45″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.16. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 46° S. North of latitude 46° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in June, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 462 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 8,198.5 billion years.