Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 6234
NGC 6234 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ophiuchus, 443.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ophiuchus |
| Distance | 443.8 million light-years (136.07 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 138,900 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.95 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.72 |
| Luminosity | 2.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 51m 57.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +4° 23′ 01″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.72. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 86° S. It stands highest at midnight in June, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 444 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 7,872.7 billion years.