Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6270
NGC 6270 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 452.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 452.9 million light-years (138.86 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 131,700 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.49 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.22 |
| Luminosity | 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 58m 44.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +27° 51′ 33″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.22. 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 453 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 8,034.2 billion years.