Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 1311
NGC 1311 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Horologium, 17.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Horologium |
| Distance | 17.0 million light-years (5.20 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 22,300 light-years · 0.26 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −15.90 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.68 |
| Luminosity | 0.01 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 20m 07.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −52° 11′ 06″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.68. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 38° N. South of latitude 38° 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 17 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 300.9 billion years.