Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6241
NGC 6241 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 420.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 420.2 million light-years (128.83 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 114,500 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.90 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.65 |
| Luminosity | 2.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 50m 10.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +45° 25′ 14″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.65. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 45° S. North of latitude 45° N it never sets. 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 420 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 7,453.8 billion years.