Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6446
NGC 6446 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 315.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 315.0 million light-years (96.57 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 76,400 light-years · 0.87 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.54 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.38 |
| Luminosity | 0.72 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 46m 07.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +35° 34′ 10″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.38. 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 315 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 5,587.3 billion years.