Galaxy · Spiral
IC 1269
IC 1269 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 285.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 285.0 million light-years (87.37 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 130,700 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.19 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.52 |
| Luminosity | 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 52m 05.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +21° 34′ 09″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.52. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 68° S. North of latitude 68° 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 285 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 5,055.0 billion years.