When is the best time to observe IC 1443?

IC 1443 is best observed from July through September, with peak visibility during August when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is IC 1443 located in the sky?

IC 1443 lies in the constellation Aquarius at right ascension 22h 19m and declination -20° 56′.

What telescope do I need to see IC 1443?

At magnitude 12.7, IC 1443 is a challenging target that needs at least an 8-inch (200 mm) telescope and dark skies.

IC 1443 — Galaxy in Aquarius

Galaxy Fair (25/100)

Elliptical

Magnitude 12.7^m Galaxy Aquarius (Aqr) Visible

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1Properties

Magnitude 12.68

Angular Size 1.6′ × 1.2′

Position Angle 42°

Distance 229.52 million ly

Galaxy Type Elliptical (E)

Description

pB, S, iF, mbM

Position & Identifiers

RA 22h 19m 03.7s

Dec -20° 56' 23.6"

Constellation Aquarius (Aqr)

Catalog IC 1443

2How easy to spot?

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Telescope	Bortle 3	Bortle 4	Bortle 5
80 mm refractor 80mm refr.	Hard	V. hard+	V. hard+
150 mm Newton 150mm Newt.	Medium	Hard+	Hard
Celestron C8 (203 mm SCT) C8 203mm	Medium+	Medium	Hard+

Easy Medium Hard Very hard Impossible

Bortle 3 = rural · 4 = outer suburbs · 5 = suburbs

Medium on Seestar S50

3Visibility

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Best season Jul – Sep (peak: Aug)

4 Eyepiece View

Telescope Eyepiece

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125x TFOV: 0.4° Lim. mag: 13.6

Seeing Bortle

IC 1443 · 1.6′×1.2′ · N up, E left

5 Best Magnification

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6 Surface Brightness

7 Morphology Decoder

8 Inclination & True Shape

9 Redshift

10 Size Comparator

Discover

11

Light Travel Time Machine

12

Relativistic Travel

Nearby in the Sky

Other targets within a few degrees — pan your scope a little and keep exploring.

Visibility scores assume a 150 mm Newton at Bortle 4.

41 Aqr

Easy

Easy double, sep 5.2″

Double Star mag 5.32 1.1° Aquarius

NGC 7252

Medium

Bright spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.1 3.8° Aquarius

NGC 7180

Hard+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.5 3.9° Aquarius

IC 1445

Hard+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.74 4.0° Aquarius

NGC 7314

Hard+

Bright spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 10.9 6.4° Piscis Austrinus

M30

Jellyfish Cluster

Easy

Globular cluster — dense ball of ancient stars

Globular Cluster mag 7.2 9.2° Capricornus

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