Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6011
NGC 6011 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Minor, 348.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Minor |
| Distance | 348.4 million light-years (106.81 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 185,700 light-years · 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.16 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.98 |
| Luminosity | 3.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 15h 46m 32.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +72° 10′ 09″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.98. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 18° S. North of latitude 18° 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 348 million years ago. At that time complex animals were spreading through the seas and over the land; there were no dinosaurs yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 6,179.8 billion years.