Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 6187
NGC 6187 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 255.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 255.2 million light-years (78.24 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 84,200 light-years · 0.96 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.37 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.10 |
| Luminosity | 0.61 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 31m 36.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +57° 42′ 24″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.10. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 32° S. North of latitude 32° 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 255 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 4,526.8 billion years.