Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 1284
NGC 1284 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Eridanus, 418.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Eridanus |
| Distance | 418.7 million light-years (128.36 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 244,600 light-years · 2.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.67 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.87 |
| Luminosity | 5.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 17m 45.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −10° 17′ 21″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.87. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 80° N. South of latitude 80° 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 419 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 7,426.6 billion years.