NGC 1209 is an elliptical galaxy in Eridanus, 118 million light-years away
NGC 1209 is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Eridanus , 118 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 11.3 and spans 2.3′ × 56″ of sky, about 77,200 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 1209 from Rana
Rana
NGC 1209
ERIDANUS
NGC 1209 lies 10.8° southwest of Rana , the magnitude 3.5 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 1209 is highest in the evening in December
JAN
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 12° 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: -38° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: -45° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: -43° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -32° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -17° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -3° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 9° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 14° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 21° 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: -55° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: -51° 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: 2° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 17° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 24° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 30° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 15° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -3° 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: -65° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -59° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -39° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -16° 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: 34° 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: -0° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: -26° 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: -66° 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: 10° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 32° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 44° 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: 3° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -25° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -53° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -81° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -69° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -40° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -12° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 14° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 39° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 54° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 56° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 31° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 6° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -23° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -52° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -80° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -68° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -39° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -10° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 18° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 45° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 63° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 62° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 35° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 8° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -21° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -49° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -72° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -64° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -36° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -7° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 21° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 50° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 73° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: 67° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 38° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 11° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -18° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -44° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -63° 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: -4° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 24° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 53° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 81° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: 68° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 39° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 13° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -14° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -38° 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: -28° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -1° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 26° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 54° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 81° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: 64° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 39° 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: -44° 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: 58° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 38° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 17° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -6° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -24° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -34° 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: 4° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 27° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: 49° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: 65° 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 74°N, and never sets south of 74°S.
NGC 1209 is 118 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 1209 tonight left it about 118 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 1209
84 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, 35′ NGC 1172, elliptical galaxy, 1.3° NGC 1179, late spiral galaxy, 3.4° NGC 1309, spiral galaxy, 3.9° NGC 1145, late spiral galaxy, 4.1° NGC 1300, spiral galaxy, 5.0° NGC 1232, mixed spiral galaxy, 5.0° NGC 1247, spiral galaxy, 5.3°
NGC 1209 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Eridanus Designations NGC 1209, 2MASX J03060302-1536405, MCG -03-08-073, PGC 011638 Type elliptical galaxy (E) Right ascension (J2000) 03h 06.1m Declination (J2000) -15° 37′ Magnitude 11.3 (B 12.0) Surface brightness 22.9 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 2.3′ × 56″ Position angle 83° True size 77,200 light-years Distance 118 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 2,611 km/s, redshift 0.00874 Best with Telescope Best month December Catalog page NGC 1001 to 1500
