Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 6263
NGC 6263 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 480.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 480.6 million light-years (147.34 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 181,700 light-years · 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.41 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.43 |
| Luminosity | 4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 56m 43.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +27° 49′ 20″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.43. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 62° S. North of latitude 62° 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 481 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 8,524.8 billion years.