Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6140
NGC 6140 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 42.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 42.4 million light-years (13.00 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 35,000 light-years · 0.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.94 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.63 |
| Luminosity | 0.065 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 20m 58.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +65° 23′ 26″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.63. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 25° S. North of latitude 25° 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 42 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 752.2 billion years.