Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 6269
NGC 6269 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 486.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 486.1 million light-years (149.04 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 247,400 light-years · 2.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −23.39 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.48 |
| Luminosity | 9.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 57m 58.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +27° 51′ 16″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.48. 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 486 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 8,623.1 billion years.