Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6207
NGC 6207 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 39.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 39.7 million light-years (12.17 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 31,100 light-years · 0.36 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.41 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.02 |
| Luminosity | 0.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 43m 03.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +36° 49′ 57″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.02. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 53° S. North of latitude 53° 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 40 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 704.1 billion years.