NGC 1261 NGC 1261 from Hubble Legacy Archive Observation data (J2000.0 epoch) Class II[1] Constellation Horologium Right ascension 03h 12m 16.21s[2] Declination –55° 12′ 58.4″[2] Distance 53.5 kly (16.4 kpc)[3] Apparent magnitude (V) 8.3 Apparent dimensions (V) 12.9′ Physical characteristics Mass 7005341000000000000♠3.41×105[4] M☉ Metallicity [ Fe / H ] {\displaystyle {\begin{smallmatrix}\left[{\ce {Fe}}/{\ce {H}}\right]\end{smallmatrix}}} = –1.08[5] dex Estimated age 10.24 Gyr[5] Other designations GCL 5, ESO 155-SC11, Caldwell 87