Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 1239
NGC 1239 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Eridanus, 402.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Eridanus |
| Distance | 402.7 million light-years (123.47 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 198,900 light-years · 2.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.62 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.84 |
| Luminosity | 4.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 10m 53.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | −2° 33′ 12″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.84. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 87° 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 403 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 7,143.7 billion years.