Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 6047
NGC 6047 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 436.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 436.7 million light-years (133.89 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 155,900 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.84 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.79 |
| Luminosity | 2.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 05m 09.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +17° 43′ 48″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.79. 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 437 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 7,746.6 billion years.