Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 1272
NGC 1272 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Perseus, 177.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Perseus |
| Distance | 177.8 million light-years (54.50 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 127,800 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.95 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.73 |
| Luminosity | 2.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 19m 21.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +41° 29′ 26″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.73. 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 178 million years ago. At that time dinosaurs ruled the Earth. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 3,153.3 billion years.