Galaxy · Irregular
NGC 6202
NGC 6202 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 261.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 261.5 million light-years (80.17 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 90,600 light-years · 1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.93 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.59 |
| Luminosity | 2.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 43m 23.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +61° 59′ 02″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.59. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 28° S. North of latitude 28° 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 261 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 4,638.5 billion years.