Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6443
NGC 6443 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 427.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 427.6 million light-years (131.09 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 178,500 light-years · 2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.27 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.32 |
| Luminosity | 3.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 44m 33.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +48° 06′ 50″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.32. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 42° S. North of latitude 42° 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 428 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 7,584.6 billion years.