Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 1226
NGC 1226 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Perseus, 286.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Perseus |
| Distance | 286.5 million light-years (87.84 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 165,900 light-years · 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.37 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.35 |
| Luminosity | 3.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 11m 05.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +35° 23′ 12″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.35. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 55° S. North of latitude 55° N it never sets. 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 286 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 5,082.2 billion years.