Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6283
NGC 6283 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 50.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 50.9 million light-years (15.61 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 23,800 light-years · 0.27 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.24 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.73 |
| Luminosity | 0.034 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 59m 26.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +49° 55′ 19″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.73. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 40° S. North of latitude 40° 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 51 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 903.2 billion years.