IC 1231 is a late spiral galaxy in Draco, 240 million light-years away
IC 1231 is a late spiral galaxy in the constellation Draco , 240 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 13.2 and spans 1.9′ × 48″ of sky, about 131,200 light-years across. It is faint: a 10-inch or larger telescope, or a camera, and it is highest in the evening sky in July.
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 IC 1231 from Athebyne
Athebyne
IC 1231
DRACO
IC 1231 lies 4.2° southeast of Athebyne , the magnitude 2.7 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
IC 1231 is highest in the evening in July
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
60°N
JAN at 60°N: 28° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 30° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 36° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 46° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 59° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 73° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 88° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 76° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 62° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 49° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 38° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 31° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 18° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 21° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 28° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 39° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 53° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 69° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 81° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 72° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 57° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 42° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 30° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 22° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 8° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 11° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 19° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 32° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 46° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 62° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 71° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 65° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 50° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 35° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 21° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 12° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -2° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 2° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 10° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 23° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 39° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 54° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 61° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 56° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 42° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 27° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 13° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 3° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -12° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: -8° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 1° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 15° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 31° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 45° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 51° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 47° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 34° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 19° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 4° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -7° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -22° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -18° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: -8° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 7° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 22° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 35° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 41° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 37° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 25° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 10° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -5° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -17° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -32° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -27° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -17° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -2° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 13° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 26° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 32° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 28° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 16° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 2° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -14° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -26° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -42° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -37° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -26° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -10° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 5° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 16° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 22° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 18° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: 7° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -7° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -23° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -35° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -52° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -46° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -35° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -19° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -4° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 7° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 12° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: 9° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -1° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -15° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -31° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -45° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -62° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -56° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -43° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -27° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -13° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -3° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 2° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -1° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -10° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -24° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -39° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -54° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -72° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -64° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -51° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -35° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -22° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -12° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -8° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -11° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -19° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -32° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -47° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -62° 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 northern hemisphere and south to about 32°S, and never sets north of 32°N.
IC 1231 is 240 million light-years away
The light seen from IC 1231 tonight left it about 240 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of IC 1231
81 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 6285, lenticular galaxy, 1.6° NGC 6286, spiral galaxy, 1.6° NGC 6246A, late spiral galaxy, 3.1° NGC 6223, lenticular galaxy, 3.2° NGC 6125, elliptical galaxy, 3.7° NGC 6338, lenticular galaxy, 3.9°
IC 1231 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Draco Designations IC 1231, 2MASX J16465901+5825234, IRAS 16461+5830, MCG +10-24-056, PGC 058973, UGC 10560 Type late spiral galaxy (Sc) Right ascension (J2000) 16h 47.0m Declination (J2000) +58° 25′ Magnitude 13.2 (B 13.0) Surface brightness 23.2 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.9′ × 48″ Position angle 153° True size 131,200 light-years Distance 240 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 5,253 km/s, redshift 0.01767 Best with Large telescope Best month July Catalog page IC 1001 to 1500
