Spiral galaxy · Eridanus
NGC 1232 Eye of God Galaxy
mag 10.16.8′ across
About
NGC 1232, the Eye of God Galaxy, is a spiral galaxy of magnitude 10.1 in Eridanus, about 6.8′ across.
How to find it
- NGC 1232 is in the constellation Eridanus.
- Best evenings: around late December it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from south of 59° N.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesNot visible to the naked eye.
- Binoculars (10×50)Too faint for binoculars.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)A faint oval glow with a brighter middle — no spiral arms without a camera.
For a dark country sky with no Moon. From a city, faint galaxies and nebulae can disappear completely.
Facts
| Designations | NGC 1232, PGC 11819 |
|---|---|
| Type | Spiral galaxy (SABc) |
| Magnitude | 10.1The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Apparent size | 6.8′ × 5.8′position angle 101°; the full Moon is 31′ across |
| Surface brightness | 23.3 mag/arcsec²Average over its disc, in the blue band: the lower the number, the easier it is to see. |
| Constellation | Eridanus |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 03h 09m 45.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −20° 34′ 45″ |
Sources and credits
Catalog data: OpenNGC by Mattia Verga, CC BY-SA 4.0, and d3-celestial by Olaf Frohn, BSD 3-Clause. All data sources →