Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 1244
NGC 1244 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Horologium, 257.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Horologium |
| Distance | 257.2 million light-years (78.87 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 181,100 light-years · 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.38 |
| Luminosity | 3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 06m 31.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −66° 46′ 32″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.38. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 23° N. South of latitude 23° 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 257 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 4,563.3 billion years.