Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6348
NGC 6348 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 443.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 443.6 million light-years (136.01 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 159,800 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.81 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.86 |
| Luminosity | 2.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 18m 21.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +41° 38′ 51″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.86. 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 444 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 7,869.3 billion years.