Galaxy · Elliptical
Hercules
Hercules is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 489,200 light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 489,200 light-years (150.0 kpc) |
| Diameter | 1,957 light-years · 0.022 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −6.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.18 |
| Luminosity | 2.1 × 10⁻⁶ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 31m 02.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +12° 47′ 30″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.18. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 77° S. North of latitude 77° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in May, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 489 thousand 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 8.7 billion years.