Galaxy · Spiral
IC 1286
IC 1286 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 258.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 258.7 million light-years (79.33 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 101,000 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.60 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.90 |
| Luminosity | 0.76 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 16m 14.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +55° 35′ 28″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.90. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 34° S. North of latitude 34° 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 259 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 4,589.9 billion years.