Star · ?
GJ 1261
GJ 1261 is a white dwarf of spectral type ? in the constellation Cygnus, 56.5 light-years from the Sun.
| Constellation | Cygnus |
|---|---|
| Distance | 56.5 light-years (17.3 pc) |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.33 |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude 11.14 |
| Spectral type | ? |
| Surface temperature | 9,330 K |
| Luminosity | 0.00373 L☉ |
| Radius | 0.012 R☉ |
| Mass | 0.6 M☉ (estimated) |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 21h 18m 56.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +54° 12′ 42″ |
| Space velocity (relative to the Sun) | 17.3 km/s |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.33. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 36° S. North of latitude 36° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in August, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around the year 1970. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 1.0 million years.
The Sun seen from there
From a planet around GJ 1261, the Sun would look like a star of magnitude 6.02, in the direction where our sky has the constellation Vela. It would be visible to the naked eye.
Neighbours
Its nearest neighbours in the catalogue (within 20 light-years):
Position, brightness and colour from the HYG / AT-HYG catalogue; temperature, luminosity, radius and mass are approximate values computed from these observations.