IC 1279 is a spiral galaxy in Hercules, 295 million light-years away
IC 1279 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Hercules , 295 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 14.0 and spans 2.3′ × 30″ of sky, about 200,900 light-years across. It is faint: a 10-inch or larger telescope, or a camera, and it is highest in the evening sky in August.
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 1279 from Vega
Vega
IC 1279
HERCULES
IC 1279 lies 5.8° southwest of Vega , the magnitude 0.0 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
IC 1279 is highest in the evening in August
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
60°N
JAN at 60°N: 8° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 6° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 10° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 20° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 33° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 48° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 61° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 66° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 57° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 42° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 28° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 16° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -2° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: -4° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 1° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 14° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 30° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 49° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 67° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 75° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 60° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 42° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 23° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 8° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -11° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -14° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -7° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 7° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 26° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 48° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 70° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 84° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 61° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 39° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 18° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 1° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -20° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -24° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: -16° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 0° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 21° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 45° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 68° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 82° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 59° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 35° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 12° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -7° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -30° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: -34° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -25° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -7° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 16° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 40° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 63° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 73° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 54° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 31° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 7° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -14° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -39° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -43° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: -33° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -13° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 10° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 34° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 56° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 63° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 48° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 25° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 1° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -21° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -48° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -53° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -42° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -20° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 4° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 28° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 47° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 54° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 41° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 19° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -5° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -28° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -57° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -63° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -49° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -26° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -2° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 21° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 38° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 44° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: 33° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 13° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -11° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -35° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -64° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -73° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -56° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -31° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -8° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 14° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 29° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: 34° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 24° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 6° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -17° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -40° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -70° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -81° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -60° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -36° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -13° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 7° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 20° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: 24° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 16° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -0° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -22° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -45° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -71° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -83° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -62° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -39° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -19° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -1° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 11° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 14° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 7° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -7° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -27° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -48° 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 54°S, and never sets north of 54°N.
IC 1279 is 295 million light-years away
The light seen from IC 1279 tonight left it about 295 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of IC 1279
20 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°, all fainter than magnitude 12.5.
IC 1279 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Hercules Designations IC 1279, 2MASX J18111538+3600280, MCG +06-40-009, PGC 061518, UGC 11143 Type spiral galaxy (Sb) Right ascension (J2000) 18h 11.3m Declination (J2000) +36° 00′ Magnitude 14.0 Surface brightness 23.9 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 2.3′ × 30″ Position angle 159° True size 200,900 light-years Distance 295 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 6,384 km/s, redshift 0.02152 Best with Large telescope Best month August Catalog page IC 1001 to 1500
