Galaxy · Lenticular
IC 1268
IC 1268 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 292.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 292.0 million light-years (89.54 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 79,300 light-years · 0.91 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.27 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.49 |
| Luminosity | 0.56 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 50m 39.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +17° 12′ 33″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.49. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 73° S. North of latitude 73° 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 292 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 5,180.6 billion years.