Galaxy · Spiral
UGC 1281
UGC 1281 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Triangulum, 16.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Triangulum |
| Distance | 16.1 million light-years (4.94 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 25,700 light-years · 0.29 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −16.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.77 |
| Luminosity | 0.021 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 1h 49m 32.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +32° 35′ 33″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.77. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 57° S. North of latitude 57° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in October, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 16 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 285.8 billion years.