Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 6459
NGC 6459 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 405.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 405.9 million light-years (124.44 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 123,600 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.44 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.03 |
| Luminosity | 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 45m 47.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +55° 46′ 36″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.03. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 34° S. North of latitude 34° 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 406 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 7,199.8 billion years.