Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6340
NGC 6340 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 55.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 55.8 million light-years (17.11 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 39,700 light-years · 0.45 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.89 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.28 |
| Luminosity | 0.39 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 10m 24.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +72° 18′ 16″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.28. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 18° S. North of latitude 18° 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 56 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 989.9 billion years.