The sky around NGC 1300, 3° across, north up low-power eyepiece, 1° NE 1°
The sky around NGC 1300 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.

ESO 547-031 · PGC 12412

NGC 1300

Spiral galaxy (Sbc) in Eridanus

A textbook barred spiral, its bar visible in an 8-inch telescope.

ERIDANUS

The box shows where NGC 1300 sits in Eridanus.

Constellation
EridanusEri
Magnitude
10.5visual
Size
6′ × 3.1′about 108,000 light-years
Distance
62 million lylight-years
Best month
Decemberat 9 pm
Best with
Telescope

NGC 1300 is a spiral galaxy (Sbc) in Eridanus, 62 million light-years away

NGC 1300 (ESO 547-031, PGC 12412) is a spiral galaxy (Sbc) in the constellation Eridanus, 62 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 10.5 and spans 6′ × 3.1′ of sky, about 108,000 light-years across. It is a telescope object, 6 inches or larger, 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.

Finding NGC 1300 from Zaurak

Zaurak NGC 1300 ERIDANUS

NGC 1300 lies 10.9° southwest of Zaurak, the magnitude 3.0 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.

NGC 1300 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: 9° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 1° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: -11° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: -26° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: -40° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: -49° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: -47° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -37° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -22° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -8° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 4° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 10° high at 9 pm 50°N JAN at 50°N: 18° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 8° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: -7° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: -26° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: -45° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: -58° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: -56° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -41° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -22° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -3° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 12° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 20° high at 9 pm 40°N JAN at 40°N: 28° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 14° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -3° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: -26° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: -49° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: -67° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -64° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -44° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -20° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 1° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 20° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 30° high at 9 pm 30°N JAN at 30°N: 37° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 21° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 0° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: -25° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: -51° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: -75° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -71° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -45° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -19° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 6° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 27° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 39° high at 9 pm 20°N JAN at 20°N: 46° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 27° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 4° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -23° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -50° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -79° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -73° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -44° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -16° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 10° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 34° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 49° high at 9 pm 10°N JAN at 10°N: 55° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 32° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 8° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -21° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -48° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -75° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -70° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -42° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -13° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 14° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 40° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 59° high at 9 pm 0° JAN at 0°: 63° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 37° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 11° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -17° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -44° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -68° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -64° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -39° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -10° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 18° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 46° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 68° high at 9 pm 10°S JAN at 10°S: 69° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 41° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 15° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -14° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -39° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -58° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -56° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -34° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -7° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 21° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 50° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 76° high at 9 pm 20°S JAN at 20°S: 72° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 43° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 18° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -10° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -33° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -49° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -47° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -28° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -3° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 23° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 52° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 79° high at 9 pm 30°S JAN at 30°S: 69° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 44° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 20° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -5° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -26° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -39° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -38° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -22° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 1° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: 25° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: 52° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: 75° high at 9 pm 40°S JAN at 40°S: 63° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 43° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 21° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -1° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -19° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -30° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -28° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -15° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 4° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 26° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: 50° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: 67° 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 71°N, and never sets south of 71°S.

NGC 1300 is 62 million light-years away

The light seen from NGC 1300 tonight left it about 62 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. It ranks 136 of 422 by distance among the galaxies on Go Astronomy. Distance source: Flow model (NAM), Anand 2021 PHANGS.

Objects within 6° of NGC 1300

NGC 1300 catalog data

FieldValue
DesignationsESO 547-031, PGC 12412, NGC 1300
Typespiral galaxy (Sbc)
ConstellationEridanus
Right ascension (J2000)03h 19.7m
Declination (J2000)-19° 25′
Magnitude10.5
Surface brightness23.3 mag/arcmin²
Apparent size6′ × 3.1′
True size108,000 light-years
Distance62 million light-years (Flow model (NAM), Anand 2021 PHANGS)
Best monthDecember
Best withTelescope