NGC 1172 is an elliptical galaxy in Eridanus, 69 million light-years away
NGC 1172 is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Eridanus , 69 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 11.7 and spans 2.3′ × 1.6′ of sky, about 45,700 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 1172 from Rana
Rana
NGC 1172
ERIDANUS
NGC 1172 lies 11.4° southwest of Rana , the magnitude 3.5 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 1172 is highest in the evening in December
JAN
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MAY
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NOV
DEC
60°N
JAN at 60°N: 13° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 3° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: -9° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: -24° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: -37° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: -45° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: -42° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -31° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -16° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -2° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 10° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 15° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 22° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 9° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: -6° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: -26° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: -44° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: -54° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: -50° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -35° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -15° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 3° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 18° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 25° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 31° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 15° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -4° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: -27° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: -49° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: -64° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -58° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -38° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -14° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 7° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 26° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 35° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 39° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 21° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: -1° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: -27° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: -52° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: -74° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -64° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -39° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -13° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 12° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 33° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 45° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 48° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 26° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 2° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -26° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -54° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -82° 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: 16° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 40° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 55° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 55° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 30° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 5° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -24° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -53° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -82° 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: 46° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 64° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 62° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 34° 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°: -74° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -63° 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°: 74° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: 66° 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: -45° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -64° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -57° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -32° 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: 82° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: 66° 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: -39° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -54° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -49° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -27° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -1° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 27° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 55° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 82° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: 63° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 38° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 14° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -11° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -32° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -45° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -40° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -22° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 2° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: 27° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: 53° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: 74° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: 57° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 36° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 15° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -7° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -25° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -35° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -31° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -16° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 5° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 27° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: 50° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: 64° 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 75°N, and never sets south of 75°S.
NGC 1172 is 69 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 1172 tonight left it about 69 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 1172
91 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 1199, elliptical galaxy, 55′ NGC 1209, elliptical galaxy, 1.3° NGC 1179, late spiral galaxy, 4.1° NGC 1145, late spiral galaxy, 4.2° NGC 1309, spiral galaxy, 5.0° NGC 1247, spiral galaxy, 5.1° NGC 1140, barred spiral galaxy, 5.1°
NGC 1172 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Eridanus Designations NGC 1172, 2MASX J03013603-1450118, MCG -03-08-059, PGC 011420 Type elliptical galaxy (E) Right ascension (J2000) 03h 01.6m Declination (J2000) -14° 50′ Magnitude 11.7 (B 12.0) Surface brightness 23.4 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 2.3′ × 1.6′ Position angle 30° True size 45,700 light-years Distance 69 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 1,638 km/s, redshift 0.00548 Best with Telescope Best month December Catalog page NGC 1001 to 1500
