Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6040A
NGC 6040A is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 587.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 587.8 million light-years (180.21 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 226,400 light-years · 2.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.44 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.84 |
| Luminosity | 4.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 04m 26.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +17° 45′ 01″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.84. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 72° S. North of latitude 72° 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 588 million years ago. At that time the Earth held only single-celled organisms and the first multicellular life. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 10,426.6 billion years.