Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 6217
NGC 6217 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Minor, 63.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Minor |
| Distance | 63.5 million light-years (19.46 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 62,700 light-years · 0.72 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.88 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.57 |
| Luminosity | 0.39 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 32m 39.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +78° 11′ 54″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.57. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 12° S. North of latitude 12° N it never sets.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 63 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 1,125.9 billion years.