Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6018
NGC 6018 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Serpens, 243.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Serpens |
| Distance | 243.1 million light-years (74.54 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 87,000 light-years · 0.99 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.34 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.02 |
| Luminosity | 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 15h 57m 29.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +15° 52′ 21″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.02. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 74° S. North of latitude 74° 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 243 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 4,312.7 billion years.