Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6156
NGC 6156 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Triangulum Australe, 152.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Triangulum Australe |
| Distance | 152.0 million light-years (46.61 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 100,100 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.80 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.54 |
| Luminosity | 2.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 34m 52.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −60° 37′ 08″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.54. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 29° N. South of latitude 29° S 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 152 million years ago. At that time dinosaurs ruled the Earth. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 2,696.8 billion years.