Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 1238
NGC 1238 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Eridanus, 231.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Eridanus |
| Distance | 231.1 million light-years (70.86 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 111,000 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.62 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.63 |
| Luminosity | 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 10m 52.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | −10° 44′ 53″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.63. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 79° N. South of latitude 79° S 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 231 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 4,099.8 billion years.