Galaxy · Irregular
Barnard's Galaxy (NGC 6822)
Barnard's Galaxy (NGC 6822) is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius, 1.63 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sagittarius |
| Distance | 1.63 million light-years (500.0 kpc) |
| Diameter | 7,176 light-years · 0.082 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −15.20 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 8.29 |
| Luminosity | 0.0052 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 19h 44m 56.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −14° 47′ 20″ |
| Source | Compiled catalogue (NED, approximate values) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 8.29); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 75° N. South of latitude 75° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in July, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 1.6 million years ago. At that time our ancestors were using stone tools; Homo sapiens did not exist yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 28.9 billion years.