Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 1300
NGC 1300 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Eridanus, 61.0 million light-years away. A textbook barred spiral.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Eridanus |
| Distance | 61.0 million light-years (18.70 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 107,600 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.30 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.06 |
| Luminosity | 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 19m 41.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −19° 24′ 40″ |
| Source | Compiled catalogue (NED, approximate values) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.06. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 71° N. South of latitude 71° 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 61 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 1,081.9 billion years.