The sky around NGC 1163, 3° across, north up low-power eyepiece, 1° NE 1°
The sky around NGC 1163 at true scale, north up and east left, with stars to magnitude 8 and the NGC and IC objects in the field. The circles show the field of a low-power eyepiece and of 10×50 binoculars.

NGC 1163

NGC 1163

Barred spiral galaxy in Eridanus

Barred spiral galaxy in Eridanus, 123 million light-years away.

ERIDANUS

The box shows where NGC 1163 sits in Eridanus.

Constellation
EridanusEri
Magnitude
13.8visual
Size
2.3′ × 22″about 80,500 light-years
Distance
123 million lylight-years
Best month
Decemberat 9 pm
Best with
Large telescope

NGC 1163 is a barred spiral galaxy in Eridanus, 123 million light-years away

NGC 1163 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Eridanus, 123 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 13.8 and spans 2.3′ × 22″ of sky, about 80,500 light-years across. It is faint: a 10-inch or larger telescope, or a camera, 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 1163 from Rana

Rana NGC 1163 ERIDANUS

NGC 1163 lies 12.8° southwest of Rana, the magnitude 3.5 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.

NGC 1163 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: 10° 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: -39° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: -47° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: -44° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -33° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -18° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -4° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 8° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 13° high at 9 pm 50°N JAN at 50°N: 19° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 7° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: -8° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: -28° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: -46° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: -57° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: -52° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -36° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -17° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 1° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 16° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 23° high at 9 pm 40°N JAN at 40°N: 28° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 13° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -5° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: -29° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: -51° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: -66° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -60° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -39° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -15° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 6° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 24° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 33° high at 9 pm 30°N JAN at 30°N: 37° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 19° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: -2° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: -28° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: -54° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: -76° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -65° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -40° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -14° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 11° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 32° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 42° high at 9 pm 20°N JAN at 20°N: 46° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 24° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 1° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -27° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -55° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -83° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -68° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -39° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -11° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 15° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 39° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 52° high at 9 pm 10°N JAN at 10°N: 54° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 29° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 4° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -25° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -53° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -80° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -67° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -38° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -9° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 19° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 45° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 62° high at 9 pm 0° JAN at 0°: 60° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 33° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 7° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -22° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -50° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -72° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -62° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -35° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -6° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 22° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 51° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 72° high at 9 pm 10°S JAN at 10°S: 65° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 36° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 10° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -19° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -44° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -62° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -55° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -31° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -3° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 25° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 54° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 81° high at 9 pm 20°S JAN at 20°S: 67° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 38° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 12° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -15° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -38° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -52° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -47° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -26° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 0° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 27° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 56° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 83° high at 9 pm 30°S JAN at 30°S: 64° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 38° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 15° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -10° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -31° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -42° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -38° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -20° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 3° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: 29° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: 55° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: 76° high at 9 pm 40°S JAN at 40°S: 59° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 38° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 16° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -6° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -23° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -33° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -29° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -14° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 6° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 29° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: 52° 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 73°N, and never sets south of 73°S.

NGC 1163 is 123 million light-years away

The light seen from NGC 1163 tonight left it about 123 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).

Objects within 6° of NGC 1163

80 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:

NGC 1163 catalog data

FieldValue
ConstellationEridanus
DesignationsNGC 1163, 2MASX J03002208-1709091, IRAS 02580-1720, MCG -03-08-056, PGC 011359
Typebarred spiral galaxy (SBbc)
Right ascension (J2000)03h 00.4m
Declination (J2000)-17° 09′
Magnitude13.8 (B 14.0)
Surface brightness23.8 mag/arcmin²
Apparent size2.3′ × 22″
Position angle144°
True size80,500 light-years
Distance123 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023))
Radial velocity2,247 km/s, redshift 0.00752
Best withLarge telescope
Best monthDecember
Catalog pageNGC 1001 to 1500