Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 6288
NGC 6288 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 478.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 478.2 million light-years (146.61 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 166,400 light-years · 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.16 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.67 |
| Luminosity | 3.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 57m 24.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +68° 27′ 26″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.67. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 22° S. North of latitude 22° 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 478 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 8,482.6 billion years.