Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6436
NGC 6436 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 295.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 295.0 million light-years (90.46 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 137,200 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.74 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.04 |
| Luminosity | 0.86 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 41m 13.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +60° 26′ 59″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.04. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 30° S. North of latitude 30° 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 295 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 5,233.8 billion years.