Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6120
NGC 6120 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Corona Borealis, 427.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Corona Borealis |
| Distance | 427.9 million light-years (131.20 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 110,900 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.22 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.37 |
| Luminosity | 3.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 19m 48.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +37° 46′ 28″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.37. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 52° S. North of latitude 52° 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 428 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 7,591.0 billion years.