Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 6201
NGC 6201 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 496.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 496.5 million light-years (152.23 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 210,200 light-years · 2.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.75 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.16 |
| Luminosity | 2.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 40m 14.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +23° 45′ 55″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.16. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 66° S. North of latitude 66° 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 497 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 8,807.7 billion years.