Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6185
NGC 6185 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 480.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 480.0 million light-years (147.16 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 221,700 light-years · 2.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −23.09 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.75 |
| Luminosity | 7.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 33m 17.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +35° 20′ 33″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.75. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 55° S. North of latitude 55° 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 480 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 8,514.4 billion years.