Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 1270
NGC 1270 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Perseus, 231.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Perseus |
| Distance | 231.3 million light-years (70.93 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 90,700 light-years · 1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.67 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.58 |
| Luminosity | 2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 18m 58.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +41° 28′ 12″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.58. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 49° S. North of latitude 49° 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 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 4,103.9 billion years.