Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 6146
NGC 6146 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 411.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 411.0 million light-years (126.00 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 193,000 light-years · 2.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.81 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.69 |
| Luminosity | 5.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 25m 10.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +40° 53′ 34″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.69. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 49° S. North of latitude 49° 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 411 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 7,290.1 billion years.