Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 6282
NGC 6282 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 491.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 491.1 million light-years (150.56 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 145,800 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.49 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.40 |
| Luminosity | 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 00m 47.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +29° 49′ 14″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.40. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 60° S. North of latitude 60° 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 491 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 8,711.1 billion years.