Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 6311
NGC 6311 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 499.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 499.4 million light-years (153.10 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 218,300 light-years · 2.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.89 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.03 |
| Luminosity | 6.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 10m 43.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +41° 39′ 04″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.03. 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 499 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 8,858.1 billion years.