The sky around NGC 1291, 3° across, north up low-power eyepiece, 1° NE 1°
The sky around NGC 1291 at true scale, north up and east left, with stars to magnitude 8. The circles show the field of a low-power eyepiece and of 10×50 binoculars.

NGC 1269 · ESO 301-002 · PGC 12209

NGC 1291

Ring galaxy (S0-a) in Eridanus

Ring galaxy (S0-a) in Eridanus, 30 million light-years away.

ERIDANUS

The box shows where NGC 1291 sits in Eridanus.

Constellation
EridanusEri
Magnitude
8.7visual
Size
11′ × 9.9′about 96,400 light-years
Distance
30 million lylight-years
Best month
Decemberat 9 pm
Best with
Small telescope

NGC 1291 is a ring galaxy (S0-a) in Eridanus, 30 million light-years away

NGC 1291 (NGC 1269, ESO 301-002, PGC 12209) is a ring galaxy (S0-a) in the constellation Eridanus, 30 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 8.7 and spans 11′ × 9.9′ of sky, about 96,400 light-years across. It is best in a small telescope, 4 to 6 inches, and it is highest in the evening sky in December.

Galaxy: a system of billions of stars, gas and dust held together by gravity, far outside the Milky Way. Spiral galaxies have a disk with arms; elliptical galaxies are smooth, round or oval swarms of older stars.

NGC 1291 is AM 315-411 in the Arp-Madore catalog

Halton Arp and Barry Madore listed it in A Catalogue of Southern Peculiar Galaxies and Associations (1987), from their search of the UK Schmidt southern sky survey plates. The number 315-411 is its position: right ascension 3h 15m and declination -41.1°. It ranks 6 by brightness among the 40 brightest objects in the list on this site.

Finding NGC 1291 from Acamar

Acamar NGC 1291 ERIDANUS

NGC 1291 lies 3.7° east of Acamar, the magnitude 2.9 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.

NGC 1291 is highest in the evening in December

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC 60°N JAN at 60°N: -12° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: -19° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: -30° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: -44° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: -58° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: -70° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: -68° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -55° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -40° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -26° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -16° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -11° high at 9 pm 50°N JAN at 50°N: -3° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: -11° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: -24° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: -41° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: -60° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: -78° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: -74° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -55° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -36° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -20° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -8° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -2° high at 9 pm 40°N JAN at 40°N: 7° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -3° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -18° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: -38° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: -59° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: -82° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -76° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -53° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -32° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -13° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 1° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 8° high at 9 pm 30°N JAN at 30°N: 16° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 5° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: -11° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: -33° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: -55° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: -76° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -71° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -49° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -26° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -6° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 10° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 18° high at 9 pm 20°N JAN at 20°N: 26° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 13° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -5° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -27° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -49° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -67° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -64° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -43° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -21° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 1° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 18° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 28° high at 9 pm 10°N JAN at 10°N: 36° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 21° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 2° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -21° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -42° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -57° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -55° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -37° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -14° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 8° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 27° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 38° high at 9 pm 0° JAN at 0°: 45° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 28° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 9° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -14° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -34° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -48° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -46° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -29° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -8° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 14° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 35° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 48° high at 9 pm 10°S JAN at 10°S: 54° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 36° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 15° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -7° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -26° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -38° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -36° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -22° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -1° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 21° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 43° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 58° high at 9 pm 20°S JAN at 20°S: 63° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 42° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 22° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -0° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -18° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -28° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -26° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -14° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 6° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 27° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 50° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 67° high at 9 pm 30°S JAN at 30°S: 70° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 48° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 27° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 7° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -9° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -18° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -17° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -6° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 12° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: 33° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: 56° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: 76° high at 9 pm 40°S JAN at 40°S: 75° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 52° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 33° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 14° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -1° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -8° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -7° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 3° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 19° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 38° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: 60° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: 82° high at 9 pm below horizon low 20-40° 40-60° overhead-ish

The chart gives its height above the horizon at 9 pm through the year, from 60°N to 40°S. It can be seen from the whole southern hemisphere and north to about 49°N, and never sets south of 49°S.

NGC 1291 is 30 million light-years away

The light seen from NGC 1291 tonight left it about 30 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. It ranks 68 of 422 by distance among the galaxies on Go Astronomy. Distance source: TRGB, Anand 2021 PHANGS.

Objects within 6° of NGC 1291

No other Messier, Caldwell or Herschel 400 object lies within 6°.

NGC 1291 catalog data

FieldValue
DesignationsNGC 1269, ESO 301-002, PGC 12209, NGC 1291, AM 315-411
Typering galaxy (S0-a)
ConstellationEridanus
Right ascension (J2000)03h 17.3m
Declination (J2000)-41° 06′
Magnitude8.7
Surface brightness23.4 mag/arcmin²
Apparent size11′ × 9.9′
True size96,400 light-years
Distance30 million light-years (TRGB, Anand 2021 PHANGS)
Best monthDecember
Best withSmall telescope