Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 6442
NGC 6442 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 296.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 296.3 million light-years (90.83 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 131,600 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.04 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.75 |
| Luminosity | 2.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 46m 51.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +20° 45′ 40″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.75. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 69° S. North of latitude 69° 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 296 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 5,255.2 billion years.