Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 1291
NGC 1291 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Eridanus, 28.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Eridanus |
| Distance | 28.7 million light-years (8.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 121,900 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.00 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 8.72 |
| Luminosity | 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 17m 18.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −41° 06′ 29″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 8.72); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 49° N. South of latitude 49° 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 29 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 509.1 billion years.