Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 1206
NGC 1206 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Eridanus, 477.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Eridanus |
| Distance | 477.6 million light-years (146.44 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 143,100 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.83 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.00 |
| Luminosity | 2.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 06m 09.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −8° 49′ 59″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.00. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 81° N. It stands highest at midnight in November, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 478 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 8,472.7 billion years.