Galaxy · Spiral
IC 1279
IC 1279 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 301.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 301.8 million light-years (92.53 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 168,400 light-years · 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.67 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.16 |
| Luminosity | 2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 11m 15.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +36° 00′ 28″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.16. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 54° S. North of latitude 54° 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 302 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 5,353.6 billion years.