Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6214
NGC 6214 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 355.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 355.0 million light-years (108.84 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 109,900 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.99 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.19 |
| Luminosity | 2.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 39m 31.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +66° 02′ 22″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.19. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 24° S. North of latitude 24° 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 355 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 6,297.3 billion years.