---
title: "NGC 1302"
url: "https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-1302"
release: "DR1"
licence: "CC-BY-SA-4.0"
citation: "SpaceCatalog. NGC 1302 [catalogue entry]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-1302"
---

# NGC 1302

NGC 1302 is a lenticular [galaxy](https://spacecatalog.org/galaxies) S0-a in the constellation [Fornax](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/fornax), 73.57 Mly from Earth, shining at apparent magnitude 10.63 (V). Other catalogues list it as 2MASX J03195121-2603382, ESO 481-020 and ESO 481-20, among 10 designations in total. It was discovered in 1885.

## At a glance

- **WHAT IT IS:** Lenticular galaxy
- **HOW FAR:** 73.57 Mly — A luminosity distance, from its redshift — how faint it looks. The light itself left 79.3 million years ago.
- **HOW BIG ON THE SKY:** 4.3′ — Small enough that the full Moon would cover it several times over.
- **HOW BRIGHT (V):** 10.63 — A small telescope reaches it.
- **WHERE TO LOOK:** [Fornax](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/fornax) — The patch of sky it sits in, as seen from Earth.

## Properties

| Quantity | Value |
| --- | --- |
| CLASS | Lenticular galaxy S0-a |
| DISTANCE FROM EARTH | 73.57 Mly ±14 — by redshift (CMB frame), flat ΛCDM with H0 = 70 km/s/Mpc |
| APPARENT MAGNITUDE (V) | 10.63 |
| CONSTELLATION | Fornax |
| RIGHT ASCENSION (J2000) | 03h 19m 51.2s |
| DECLINATION (J2000) | −26° 03′ 37.6″ |
| DISCOVERED | 1885 |

## Catalogue data

### WHAT KIND OF THING IT IS

What the object is in itself, rather than how it happens to look from here.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Hubble type | S0-a |

### HOW BRIGHT IT IS

What the light adds up to, measured through one filter at a time. A magnitude is a brightness on a backwards scale — the smaller the number, the brighter the object.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Apparent magnitude (B) | 11.59 |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 10.63 |
| Apparent magnitude (J) | 8.72 |
| Apparent magnitude (H band) | 8.03 |
| Apparent magnitude (K) | 7.83 |
| Surface brightness | 23.46 mag/arcsec² |

### WHERE IT IS AND HOW IT MOVES

Position, motion across the sky and the size it covers on it. These are measurements of the object as seen from here, so every one of them depends on where here is.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Radial velocity | 1704 km/s |
| Redshift (z) | 0.005699 |
| Redshift (z, CMB frame) | 0.00524588 |
| Major axis | 4.27′ |
| Minor axis | 3.9′ |
| Position angle | 170° |

### WHEN IT WAS FOUND

Who first saw it, from where, and by what method.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Discovered by | Edward Emerson Barnard |

### OTHER NAMES AND NUMBERS

The identifiers other catalogues file this object under, for anyone joining this data to theirs.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| OpenNGC type code | G |
| Wikidata item | Q1042684 |

## Also known as

- 2MASX: 2MASX J03195121-2603382
- ESO: ESO 481-020
- ESO: ESO 481-20
- ESO-LV: ESO-LV 481-0200
- IRAS: IRAS 03177-2614
- IRAS: IRAS F03177-2614
- LEDA: LEDA 12431
- MCG: MCG -04-08-058
- NGC: NGC 1302
- PGC: PGC 12431

## Source

[OpenNGC](https://github.com/mattiaverga/OpenNGC) — CC-BY-SA-4.0

The producer asks: OpenNGC, Mattia Verga (github.com/mattiaverga/OpenNGC). Fields derived from it stay under CC BY-SA 4.0.

How this was made: https://spacecatalog.org/methods#source-openngc

## Cite this page

SpaceCatalog. NGC 1302 \[catalogue entry\]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-1302

```bibtex
@misc{spacecatalog_ngc-1302,
  author       = {{SpaceCatalog}},
  title        = {{NGC 1302}},
  howpublished = {SpaceCatalog, data release DR1 (2026-08-21)},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-1302},
  note         = {Catalogue entry, data release DR1 (2026-08-21). Values from OpenNGC.}
}
```

OpenNGC — CC-BY-SA-4.0

Acknowledgement the producer asks for: OpenNGC, Mattia Verga (github.com/mattiaverga/OpenNGC). Fields derived from it stay under CC BY-SA 4.0.

The page itself, with its pictures, the sky map and the observing tools: https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-1302