Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 1031
NGC 1031 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Horologium, 261.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Horologium |
| Distance | 261.1 million light-years (80.06 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 151,500 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.21 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.31 |
| Luminosity | 3.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 36m 38.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −54° 51′ 35″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.31. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 35° N. South of latitude 35° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in October, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 261 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 4,632.1 billion years.