Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 6349
NGC 6349 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 538.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 538.0 million light-years (164.94 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 179,200 light-years · 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.31 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.78 |
| Luminosity | 3.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 19m 06.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +36° 03′ 39″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.78. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 54° S. North of latitude 54° 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 538 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 9,543.1 billion years.