Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 6048
NGC 6048 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Minor, 359.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Minor |
| Distance | 359.2 million light-years (110.14 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 171,800 light-years · 2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.38 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.83 |
| Luminosity | 3.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 15h 57m 30.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +70° 41′ 21″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.83. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 19° S. North of latitude 19° 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 359 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 6,372.5 billion years.