When is the best time to observe NGC 1273?

NGC 1273 is best observed from October through December, with peak visibility during November when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is NGC 1273 located in the sky?

NGC 1273 lies in the constellation Perseus at right ascension 03h 19m and declination +41° 32′.

What telescope do I need to see NGC 1273?

At magnitude 12.9, NGC 1273 is a challenging target that needs at least an 8-inch (200 mm) telescope and dark skies.

NGC 1273 — Galaxy in Perseus

Galaxy Fair (33/100)

Lenticular

Magnitude 12.9^m Galaxy Perseus (Per) Visible

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1Properties

Magnitude 12.9

Angular Size 0.9′ × 0.7′

Position Angle 135°

Distance 249.20 million ly

Galaxy Type Lenticular (S0)

Description

vF, vS

Position & Identifiers

RA 03h 19m 26.7s

Dec +41° 32' 25.8"

Constellation Perseus (Per)

Catalog NGC 1273

2How easy to spot?

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Telescope	Bortle 3	Bortle 4	Bortle 5
80 mm refractor 80mm refr.	V. hard+	V. hard+	V. hard
150 mm Newton 150mm Newt.	Hard+	Hard	Hard
Celestron C8 (203 mm SCT) C8 203mm	Hard+	Hard+	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 Oct – Dec (peak: Nov)

4 Eyepiece View

Telescope Eyepiece

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125x TFOV: 0.4° Lim. mag: 13.6

Seeing Bortle

NGC 1273 · 0.9′×0.7′ · 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.

NGC 1275

Medium+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 11.6 0.1° Perseus

NGC 1278

Hard+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.6 0.1° Perseus

NGC 1270

Hard+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.9 0.1° Perseus

NGC 1294

Hard

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 13.1 0.5° Perseus

Algol

HIP 14576; Beta Persei; 26 Persei

Easy

Eclipsing binary, period 2.9d

Variable Star mag 2.12 2.2° Perseus

NGC 1342

Easy

Rich open cluster

Open Cluster mag 6.7 4.8° Perseus

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