Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6301
NGC 6301 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 388.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 388.8 million light-years (119.20 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 198,300 light-years · 2.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.98 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.40 |
| Luminosity | 2.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 08m 32.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +42° 20′ 21″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.40. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 48° S. North of latitude 48° 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 389 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 6,896.7 billion years.