Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6252
NGC 6252 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Minor, 299.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Minor |
| Distance | 299.5 million light-years (91.83 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 108,400 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.52 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.29 |
| Luminosity | 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 32m 40.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +82° 34′ 36″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.29. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 7° S. North of latitude 7° N it never sets.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 300 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 5,313.1 billion years.