Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6286
NGC 6286 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 256.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 256.3 million light-years (78.59 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 143,000 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.82 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.66 |
| Luminosity | 2.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 58m 31.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +58° 56′ 11″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.66. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 31° S. North of latitude 31° 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 256 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 4,547.1 billion years.