Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 1262
NGC 1262 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Eridanus, 1.16 billion light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Eridanus |
| Distance | 1.16 billion light-years (356.81 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 277,600 light-years · 3.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −23.26 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.50 |
| Luminosity | 8.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 15m 33.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −15° 52′ 45″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.50. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 74° N. South of latitude 74° 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 1.2 billion years ago. At that time the Earth held only single-celled organisms and the first multicellular life. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 20,644.3 billion years.